She Who Erases
by SM0KEYJ0E
Summary: [COMPLETE] The invitation of an old colleague sends Daniel to a mysterious dig site that will eventually involve all of SG1
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: These characters don't belong to me. this is just for fun.

General George Hammond closed the folder that lay in front of him. "Thank you, Dr. Jackson." He looked around at the people before him. "If that's all, SG1 is on stand-down." Seeing no objections, he smiled. "You all have some well-deserved leave on the books." 

He was responded to with a chorus of "Thank you, Sir" as he stood.

Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter also stood, and the general gave them a small nod before leaving.

"So." Jack tapped his fingers on the briefing room table and looked around at the faces of his teammates, receiving a small smile from Carter. He turned to his right. "Teal'c, you goin' to see the kid?"

Hands folded in front, the Jaffa angled his head in the colonel's direction, nodding slightly. "I am."

Jack turned back to face his second-in-command. "Carter?"

"Dad's gating in." she replied pleasantly. "We're going to go visit Mark for the holidays."

Jack nodded and smiled. Hands in his pockets, he looked across the table at the team's wayward archaeologist, who was still sat next to the standing major and also still reading through a file in front of him. "Daniel?" 

Jackson looked up from whatever was apparently very engrossing. "Uh... I'm actually going to go..." Daniel paused, searching for a sequence of unoffending words, "...visit a friend."

"Yeah?" The colonel's interest was now sufficiently piqued. "Who?"

Daniel finally stood and began gathering the spread of papers that lay before him. "Actually, I worked with him for a brief time."

Jack had begun moving toward the door, but stopped abruptly. "_Daniel._" It was a statement of accusation, summed up in one name.

"Jack?" the accused looked up and questioned innocently.

The colonel stared incredulously, "You're going to _work_?" the disgust evident in his tone.

Having gathered all of his belongings, Daniel also began moving toward the door. "I said I was going to visit a friend."

Jack held out a hand, effectively stopping his teammate. "But he's one of your little Egypt friends."

Daniel's forehead crinkled as he raised his eyebrows. "One of my little Egypt friends.?" His eyes narrowed in feigned confusion.

"Another one of those anthropology nerds who scuffs around in the dirt trying to find -" Jack began. Frustration and realization hit him all at the same time: Daniel knew how to play him. "You know what I mean!" He looked at Carter for support and received another smile in return. Teal'c had his hands clasped behind his back and was merely observing the situation that unfolded. Both thought it best and infinitely more amusing to simply watch rather than get caught in the crossfire.

Daniel watched his friend become flustered. As Jack turned back to him after receiving no help from the rest of his team, Daniel took it as his cue. "He happens to be one of the foremost experts in Ancient Near East - "

"Yadda." A hand waved, as though the action would swat away whatever archaeological jargon was about to be hurled at him. "- the point is, you're going to work." The same hand now pointed an indicting finger.

"This isn't work for me." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, creating a sort of shield to the aforementioned finger. "It's fun." A small smile. knowing the suggestion of anything even vaguely work-related being fun would get the response he was waiting for.

"On Christmas?!" Jack unwittingly ran smack into Daniel's well-constructed, though fairly obvious, ploy.

The archaeologist smiled broadly. "Jack, I enjoy this." Recognizing the conversation was about to come to a rather abrupt end, Teal'c stepped forward and opened the door for Sam. "It's either going to visit an old friend and working on a site," Daniel continued, grabbing the door from Teal'c. "or sitting in my apartment and cataloguing alien artifacts from the past five months." 

Jack turned to follow his team out, shouting at Daniel's back, "On _Christmas?!_"


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Still just for fun. thank you to those of you who reviewed; it's really quite encouraging. ;) Please keep reviewing and let me know if you think the characterization is right - sometimes I think I might be off.

Daniel stepped out into a throng of people, doing his best to ignore the offers for rides or translators. He readjusted the straps on his backpack and looked through the mass of people. Suddenly, he saw the person he was looking for and threw an arm into the air, waving. "Dr. Pendry!"

An older man, tanned from working long hours in the desert sun, was dressed much like Daniel in khakis and a light, cotton button down. He turned at the sound of the voice calling him. "Daniel!" He pushed up the sunglasses he was wearing into his greyish-white hair and moved forward to meet the younger man halfway. "How many times must I tell you: call me Kurt." He pumped Daniel's hand energetically and pulled him into a quick hug. "Ah, well, it's wonderful to see you!" Pendry held Daniel back at an arm's length and looked him over before smiling jovially. "You look good, my boy!" He paused again before slapping the younger man on the back and guiding him through the crowd. "Come, come."

Daniel walked where he was told, until he came upon an old, dilapidated jeep. 

"Go on, go on." Pendry gestured as he himself walked round to the other side of the vehicle. 

Obediently, Daniel dropped his backpack on the back seat and climbed in. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out the sun clip for his glasses and a bandanna. He settled himself and waited for the journey to begin.

"Didn't take you long to get comfortable, did it?" the older man asked, smiling.

Daniel returned the smile as Pendry turned the ignition and put the jeep in gear. "It's like riding a bike." He replied.

"I'm glad. Because we've got quite the ride yet." Dr. Pendry deftly guided them through crowded streets and errant pedestrians.

Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Yes. About that... where exactly are we going? Your emails were a little..." he searched for the proper word. "...vague." 

A genial laugh escaped. "Yes! Vague, they were. I knew you couldn't resist so great a mystery!" Off the confused look of his companion, he continued. "You are rather predictable, aren't you? So are we all, in this field, I suppose." Pendry exposited. "Wave a rock, or in this case, the words 'untouched excavation' in front of us and off we go, wanting to examine it and determine what significance it may have. An interesting breed, archaeologists!"

Daniel frowned slightly as his friend unknowingly confirmed Jack O'Neill's sarcastic assessments of the character of SG1's civilian contingent. 

Pendry saw the change in demeanor and continued. "Yes, well: back to the point! I assume you are still familiar with Assyro-Babylonian mythology?"

"Yes, of course." Daniel replied.

"Good! Good!" Pendry beamed, exclaiming enthusiastically. "We are driving far to the south. We have found something, Daniel!" His voice grew softer. "You remember Otto Farber?" the older man didn't wait for a response. "He has yet to tell us how, but he learned of a potential undisturbed site. He called a few of us together, and of course we were more than interested at the possibility of a new discovery, even if it seemed absolutely mad!" Pendry grew slightly reflective, but remained exuberant. "Of course, I think some of us were looking for an excuse to just be back out there, regardless of whether it was a wild goose chase." 

Daniel's curiosity increased steadily. "And you found something." He attempted to bring his friend back from his tangent. 

"Did we ever!" Now a little further out of the city crowds, Pendry was able to focus more completely on Daniel. "We have found the ruins of a small temple. It's entirely out in the middle of nowhere, which is probably why no one has discovered before now. And as I said, we still don't know how Otto found it, but you know about his... well, he's always had a few shady companions, hasn't he!" Daniel marveled at the man sitting next to him: what normally might have been taken as an insult came out more of a compliment. He couldn't help but be swept up in the enthusiasm. 

"Well, this is certainly incredible, but... what do you need me for?" Though still excited about the potential for discovery, Daniel also couldn't help but wonder why he'd been called upon to participate.

"Ah. Yes." For the first time since picking up Daniel, Dr. Pendry was hesitant. "Well, to be perfectly honest, this site seems to have us all perplexed." Seeing the younger man's puzzled expression, he suddenly burst out, "Alright! We're stuck!" His confession out of the way, Pendry relaxed a little. "You see, Daniel, we've been out in the Iraqi desert for weeks now, and we don't seem to be making any headway. When we arrived, there were pillars visible, and we initially uncovered a relatively small structure, but there are no markings of any kind! We eventually managed to stumble upon what appears to be several storerooms. Elena of course, set right to work on examining the few ceramics and other such things that we found. There are some intriguing stones that we can't seem to get a hold on as well. That's about it I'm afraid." Pendry looked back over to the younger man sitting next to him. "We need a fresh, young mind, Daniel. And I'm afraid none of us have so vast an array of knowledge that you do." He smiled impishly. "But of course, if asked again, I will furiously deny ever having said that, as I'm sure our colleagues would, if ever they were even able to admit it themselves."

Daniel grinned shyly, modesty etched over his countenance. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm happy to offer whatever assistance I can."

"Absolutely grand!" Pendry exclaimed. 

"Will we be going directly to the site?" Daniel asked.

"No, no, my boy! We've been staying at an inn of sorts the past few weeks." The older man explained, then spoke under his breath, "quite honestly, we'd been waiting on tenterhooks for your response!" eliciting another smile from his companion. "Imagine the suspense! A bunch of relics ourselves, waiting to be rescued from archaeological hell by one so young as yourself!" he dismissed the apparently horrific thought with a shake of his head. "We'll meet up with everyone there." 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:  The character of Daniel Jackson does not belong to me… :(  If you stay tuned, all of SG1 should show up eventually; it just might take some time.  Also, please keep reviewing; criticism (constructive, of course), is especially welcome.  

Dr. Kurt Pendry stretched and beckoned with a hand as he walked forward.  Daniel followed and the two approached a small building, which looked about as ramshackle as they jeep they'd ridden in, if not more so.  The town, if it could be called that, certainly was in the middle of nowhere.  Daniel supposed there might be more that he couldn't see, since it was in fact nighttime, but couldn't quite stretch his imagination that far.  There were lights coming from the building before him, in addition to some stretching maybe a few hundred yards down the way, but not much else.  As he entered the building, the activity suddenly increased ten-fold, which, interestingly enough, still wasn't anything exciting.  Daniel's subconscious quickly took everything in, making a note of the unfamiliar faces and then spotting a more recognizable one.    

"Daniel?" A slightly older than middle-aged woman was coming forward.  "Daniel Jackson." Pendry stepped aside as she pulled the younger man into a hug.  "Kurt said he was bringing you, but I didn't believe it." She stepped back, surveying him in much the same way her associate had.  "But now here you are."

"Dr. LaVoie." The shy smile was back.  "Yes.  I uh – I had some time off." Daniel decided to leave it at that, hoping no one would feel the need to ask questions about his work or his life.

"What is it that you do now?" Daniel cringed inwardly as Dr. LaVoie jumped square onto the topic he'd wanted to avoid.

"I – I travel a lot." Ill-defined as it was, it remained the truth.  

LaVoie narrowed her eyes, which now had an inquisitive glint.  "We've all been keeping an eye out for you, you know.  We haven't seen any research projects or papers…" she craftily left off, hoping the young man wouldn't pick up on her probing.

"No." she wasn't crafty enough, or at least Daniel was equally so.  "No, I haven't been doing anything that anyone would have seen."

"And everyone thought you had so much promise." Focused as he was on answering Dr. LaVoie's questions, or rather, trying to avoid them as discreetly as possible, Daniel hadn't noticed the stalwart man a few yards off to his left.  

"Dr. Bailey." Daniel did his best to hide his initial shock as he stared rather ungraciously at the tall man, who still looked imposing even as he leaned heavily on a doorframe.  "It's uh – it's good to see you."  Daniel took a step forward and proffered his hand.

"Ah, yes.  Good to be back among the well-respected, is it?"  Bailey sauntered over. Though almost twenty years had passed, he was still harsh-looking as ever Daniel had remembered him. "Don't get too comfy." He whispered loudly before sauntering back the way he had come.

Daniel frowned, casting his eyes down to his still-extended hand for a moment before crossing his arms tightly.  

Pendry cleared his throat, as if his action would also clear the awkwardness that had settled over the room.  "Don't let him bother you;" he muttered an aside. "He started early tonight."

His brow furrowed, Daniel looked over at his friend and couldn't muster much confidence. "Yeah." He replied, not a little lamely.  

"Let's go find Elena and Otto." LaVoie also gave cheerfulness a go, grabbing hold of Daniel's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.  "They'll want to see you for themselves."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry about the short lengths of the chapters. I guess I have a pretty small attention span, but it seems to flow better this way, at least in my addled brain. Please keep reviewing. are the descriptions of the characters/situations okay? I'm a dialogue person; I always write that first and have to fit everything else around it; let me know if you think I could expound a little more or if I've gone off track somewhere. :)

Elena Vadillo walked down a dimly-lit hallway, surprised to see a sliver of muted light as she turned a corner on the way to her room. She approached quietly and peered into the room by way of its partially-open door. Seeing its occupant sitting at the small desk, she knocked lightly and stepped inside, smiling when Daniel twisted in his chair to see who had broken his reverie: it had been many years since she'd seen him last, but his habits were much the same: he was working late into the evening with only the small desk lamp; Elena could also see a cup of coffee half-hidden by his arm. 

"Getting started already?" she questioned, keeping a fair amount of distance between them, still conscious of just how many years it had been.

Daniel returned her smile and closed the book he'd been reading. "I'm a little rusty." He removed his glasses and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

Elena took the opportunity to flip on the overhead light. Daniel removed his hand only to begin blinking furiously at the new brightness that had invaded the small room.

"Ow. What'd you do that for?'

"This is why you have to have glasses. Besides, much more is revealed in the light than in the darkness." Elena scolded, noting how this light exposed just how tired the young man looked. Her tone softened. "Do you need anything?"

"No." He replied quickly, then amended. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

His response brought another smile to the older woman's face: so much the same. "You are as fine as you are rusty." She waited for a sign of recognition. "Kurt didn't tell you that he would be here."

Daniel's brow furrowed at her declaration; he was silent for a moment before conceding to her insight: these were the people who knew him before he had refined the ability to hide his emotions when he needed to. "No." Daniel sighed. "I assumed if he were here, you wouldn't need me."

"Maybe so." Elena admitted. "In any case, he's not been much help. Seems to think he's above this... above us." she reflected. "Maybe he'll pick up some interest now that you're here."

Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Why's that?"

"Harrison always did love competition, didn't he?" was the cryptic reply. "You get some sleep, dear." Elena stepped back out of the room. "We have an early day tomorrow." 

Daniel watched as she flipped the light back off and closed the door, sending him back into semi-darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Sorry. I'm still working on the longer chapters thing. still haven't been very successful. I'll get there, hopefully. I'm nothing if not potential. ;)

Daniel stood, hands in his pockets, next to one of the jeeps, waiting for the rest of the team to be ready. Dr. LaVoie was packing away her own gear in the other jeep; Kurt Pendry was running the ten yards between the jeep and the inn back and forth, exchanging things in and out of his own bag, literally bouncing with excitement; Otto appeared to be haggling with the owner of the lodging, waving his arms around and looking quite animated at that. Daniel took note of the people who were missing just as Elena emerged with her own bag. He came forward to help the older woman, taking her belongings and setting them in the jeep with his own. Kurt came bounding over as Daniel was securing the bag. 

"Uh, Dr. Bailey isn't coming with us?" Daniel called out.

"No." Pendry replied, removing yet another item from the other jeep. "He's decided to stay on a few days. He'll join us before." he paused, out of breath from trying desperately to cram something much too large into a space that was much too small, ultimately giving up, if only momentarily, ". too long. He tries to mask it, but he's just as intrigued as the rest of us. One look in his eyes tells you that." 

"In the mean time, we'll be able to work in peace." Elena added as Pendry resumed his feeble attempt at packing.

Kurt looked over toward her. "Such words, Elena!"

"He's a rabble rouser." She replied calmly. "I have no problem telling you or him that; he knows how I feel about him _and_ the trouble he brings." Elena continued, voice growing in volume and pitch "He's an egoist: thinks only of himself." The tirade had seemed to accomplish what Daniel's patient waiting hadn't: everyone had now stopped whatever they were doing and had gathered around the jeep. "Why, the last time we all worked together, he nearly killed Daniel! Pulling him into that stupid, empty tomb! And he was just a boy at the time!" 

"As if he isn't a boy now." Otto muttered, beginning a cacophony of voice, all overlapping and intermingling, that Daniel could only frown at.

"He's thirty-nine." Defended Kurt.

"He was twenty-one!" Shrilled Elena. 

"He's not twenty-one." Otto replied. 

"He does look very young." Bernadette joined in.

"He shouldn't have been in there!" 

"He's got what, something like _eighty-five_ degrees now?"

"He looks much younger than he is."

"Bailey and his hubris putting Daniel in such a position!"

"He couldn't do that by twenty-one. it's not possible."

"No. No. No." Kurt raised his voice, effectively quashing the conversation. "He was twenty-one at the time he went into Mentu's tomb, which I'll remind you ended up not being Mentu's tomb so much as a big, empty, unstable hole, and he was curious, Elena. He would've gone in with or without Bailey. If anything, it's a good thing Harrison was there - he pulled Daniel out, didn't he? And Otto, he's thirty-nine _now_, but, Bernadette, he does look much younger." he finished, rather self-satisfied. 

There was a brief pause before Daniel jumped in. "You guys know I'm standing right here, right?" His words sent everyone back in motion, as he himself stood motionless, arms wrapped tightly around his body. 

"Of course, Daniel." Kurt threw whatever remaining objects he had haphazardly in the back of the jeep. 

"Okay." The younger man nodded. "Just making sure I hadn't gone... out of phase, or something." he mumbled, shaking his head and staring at the ground.

"What was that, dear?" Elena questioned, tone back to its usual level.

Daniel's head shot back up. "Nothing. Are we going?"

"Oh." Elena put a hand to her heart, looking nostalgically at Daniel. "'Are we going.' So like a child."

Daniel did his best to give the woman what he thought looked like an ingratiating smile, which ended up looking more like a grimace. Sighing, he dropped his arms, grabbed onto the vehicle's roll bars, and climbed into the seat behind her. 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Okay, so this chapter is super, super short (it's like, three sentences, I think...); I just needed a little bit of exposition and I also wanted to expound on one of the characters. but I tried to make up for it by uploading a couple new chapters all at once. 

"This is incredible: there are no markings of any kind." Daniel remarked, half-whispering, as he walked slowly around the enclosed room, running his fingers lightly on the walls as he studied them.

"You don't have to tell me!" burst Otto Farber, who'd always been a little on the eccentric side of things. "Over a month of my life has been sucked out by this thing! We've searched top to bottom, left to right. There's absolutely nothing." He went on, melodramatically. "But you," Otto pointed a demanding finger, "you keep at it, Daniel. I'm sure you'll find something in that fluffy head of yours!" Daniel turned abruptly at being referred to as having a 'fluffy head', but raising his eyebrows at Kurt, he got only the mildest of shoulder shrugs in return as Otto continued on his diatribe against the temple. "And when you find my soul, which this beast has so unceremoniously stolen, you just let me know! I'll come retrieve it with aplomb!" 

Daniel turned quietly to Kurt as Otto was now shuffling about, shaking his fists at the walls and muttering curses in different, dead languages. "You've found nothing at all?"

"Nothing!" Otto interrupted. "Not a single..."

"No." Kurt returned just as quietly, as both men ignored the new series of colorful phrases that were being issued. "We thought there must be a hidden chamber of some sort, but we've found no hollow walls or drafts or anything that would even indicate such a thing." The older man paused, studying Daniel for a moment as he appeared lost in his own musings. "What do you think?"

Daniel pursed his lips, looked at Kurt, and then to Otto, who now seemed to be trying a new approach at showing his hostility.

"I bite my thumb at you, sir!" he shouted ostentatiously, actually, literally biting his thumb.*

"I think we should probably get him out of here." Daniel said, moving forward to physically remove Otto from the building.

"Yes." Pendry agreed, following suit. "Let's."

Author's Notes: *The biting of the thumb of course refers to Romeo and Juliet - biting the thumb was considered an insult, much like giving someone the finger. It seems an infinitely funny thing to do, in my opinion, especially to an inanimate object. I hope Otto came off as sort of a 'fun-crazy' as opposed to an 'oh, how sad. crazy.' Let me know. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: At last! Part of SG1 finally arrives! Thanks for hanging in there (buggirl!). 

Bernadette looked up as she saw a dust cloud in the distance.  Knowing it was still a way off, she continued to delicately clean the few new potsherds she and Otto had found just that morning.  She couldn't help but feel optimistic: since Daniel had arrived a few days previously, it seemed the tides had turned.  The potential for discovery was so thick in the air it was almost palpable.  Finishing her task, she looked up and found that she could now make out the shape of a jeep in all the dust.  Whoever it was wasn't so far away anymore; in fact, whoever it was had almost arrived.  She dusted her hands off on her pants and rose, pulling her long, dark hair into a loose knot, held in place by a pencil.  She went to the embers from the morning's fire and began looking for a clean mug.  By the time she had found one and poured some coffee, the stranger had pulled up to the camp and was stepping out.  Bernadette walked up to him cautiously, though still intending friendship.  

"Hello." the man called out when she reached a reasonable speaking distance.

"Hello." She replied, noting that his accent was American, taking in his salt and pepper hair, about 6'2" frame, and athletic build as well as his casual demeanor.  "Can I help you?" she held onto the coffee cup offering of peace until she was able to more accurately assess whether he was friend or foe.

"Yes! No!" He started, then seemed to change his mind.  "I don't know." He offered a hand "Jack O'Neill." and smiled charismatically. 

She extended her hand as well.  "Bernadette LaVoie." Though this man appeared informal and even... irreverent, she suspected he was military. "Do you have business here?" In spite of her suspicions, Bernadette found herself holding out the cup of coffee.

He accepted it and smiled again.  "Thank you, ma'am."  He politely took a sip.  "Actually, I'm looking for someone."

"Who would –" Bernadette began, but was interrupted by a voice from behind her.

"Jack?"  Daniel was walking toward them, apparently, having just come out of his tent. 

O'Neill looked away from Bernadette.  "Daniel!  Hey!" he raised his arms in apparent victory, paused, and then lowered them a bit self-consciously.

"What are you doing here?" Daniel stopped between the two, crossing his arms over his chest and looking positively befuddled.

"It's good to see you, too." So, this man was no stranger to sarcasm, Bernadette noted.

"Daniel, you know this man?" she questioned.        

Daniel turned his attention back to her. "Yes.  He's a friend." Bernadette smiled genially, mentally giving herself a point for placing her trust correctly in this stranger, but also wondering at why Daniel hadn't expounded a little more. 

"We work together..." O'Neill supplied.  "Go way back... though I imagine not as far back as you... all." He paused, then amended "All of you.' gesturing toward the various tents.

"You work together?" Bernadette pried, feigning ignorance. "Are you an archaeologist?"

"Me?  Good god, no.  Are you kidding?  All the rocks and the boring –" O'Neill replied quickly, before catching himself. "– ah, no.  No, I'm not an archaeologist."  

She continued to smile.  "Well, maybe you can shed a little light onto what it is that Daniel does exactly."

Jack leaned in a bit closer.  "To be honest, ma'am, that's never really been made clear to me." So he was just as clever as Daniel, Bernadette decided, and funny as well.

"Aren't you charming?" Seeing she wasn't going to get much out of either of them just yet, she conceded temporary defeat.  "Well, I've got some work to finish up before the sun drops; will you be staying, Mr. O'Neill?"

"Oh yeah!  Wouldn't miss it!" again, Bernadette noted the sarcasm.

"Until later, then." She nodded to both of them and gave Daniel a pat on the arm.  "We'll have to introduce you to everyone."

"Lookin' forward to it!" Jack called at her retreating form.

"Jack." Bernadette could still hear Daniel's repeated query.  "What are you doing here?"


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:  I'm getting better… 

Jack stepped out of the tent that he and Daniel were now sharing and approached a friendly-looking campfire.  Not without warrant, Daniel had been more than a little confused when the colonel appeared at the site, but the initial shock had worn off, and he was now, Jack imagined, back to crawling around in the dirt looking for whatever it was that he always looked for.  

While Jack hadn't exactly explained why he had come, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he didn't particularly want to be alone over the holidays, and so had come in search of Daniel.  Even though he might be bored out of his mind, being with a friend and being bored was much preferable to being alone and bored.  Daniel of course, suspected this, but he himself seemed a little more at ease since Jack had arrived, so it seemed that it had turned out well for both of them.  

"Mr. O'Neill." Jack pulled his gaze from the orange glow of the fire as a french-accented voice came from the vicinity of another tent, to his side.

He smiled as the diminutive woman, probably only a few years older than himself, approached.  "Ms. LaVoie."  

Bernadette returned the smile and took a seat in a folding canvas chair, indicating with a hand that Jack should do the same.  "Please, call me Bernadette."

Jack complied and took the chair next to her, leaning back comfortably.  He waited, allowing her to be the first to speak.

"You've known Daniel for some time, have you?" Bernadette once again resorted to weighted questions, and Jack immediately recognized it as more than just small talk.

"Couple years now, anyway." He answered.

"And you work together?" 

"We do."

"You and Daniel have been rather clever about avoiding the question." The woman leaned back comfortably in her own chair as she realized he was onto her ruse.

"What question would that be, ma'am?" Jack plastered on the most innocent-looking face he could muster, which of course, wasn't terribly convincing.  The question itself was practically oozing with sarcasm, much like almost everything else he said.

"What is it exactly that you do?" Bernadette still attempted disinterest, staring at the fire instead of the man next to her, as she very much wanted to do, hoping to catch some flicker in his eyes or some other thing that might give him and Daniel away.

Jack narrowed his eyes and leaned toward her, lowering his voice. "We work with –" 

"Yes?" She couldn't help herself any longer; Bernadette turned to face O'Neill eagerly.

"Magnets." He stated, leaning back and resuming his normal tone of voice.   

"Magnets." The older woman re-stated, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"Yup." Jack nodded self-satisfactorily.  "Great, big ones." He held out his hands wildly, indicating size.

Bernadette leaned in closer, eyeing him critically, hoping it would be enough to break him, though seriously doubting it. "Daniel works with magnets?"

"You bet." 

"Alright." She also resumed her reclined position, mentally switching tactics and berating herself a bit for being caught so easily.  "You're not going to tell me.  It's fine." The gears in her brain had shifted. "You have to understand, Mr. O'Neill, we haven't heard anything about Daniel in years." Bernadette casually turned her head toward him.  "As a matter of fact, last we had heard, he was dead.  You can imagine our surprise when Kurt told us he'd gotten a call from a dead man." She softened her voice.  "But is he – doing well?"

"Well, he's definitely not dead." Jack replied easily enough.

Suddenly, Bernadette found herself not caring about their little game anymore.  "Mr. O'Neill, please." She'd noticed the subtle, but significant changes in Daniel, and she now realized that this man, his friend, was her way back into the young man's life… to know what it was that made him look like he was now under the strain of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.  "I see you make jokes and avoid serious discussion, but I know Daniel." She sighed, "At least I used to, and quite well.  He values your friendship and he trusts you with that same friendship.  That doesn't come easily with him." Jack faced her before she continued.  "If he's let you in, you must have something special."

He turned back to the fire, something other than flippancy in his eyes and voice. "Truth be told, I probably don't deserve that level of trust."  

Bernadette sighed again. "He does tend to see the best in people, doesn't he?"

"Gotta love that damn naiveté." The offhanded tone was back, but not like before; it was laced with something much like sadness.

"And he's happy?" 

"Yeah… sure." Jack paused and tried his best to regain his composure, but found he couldn't quite bring it back around.  He let his own sigh escape before answering cryptically. "He's lost a lot."  He turned back to Bernadette and grinned; no matter how much she cared for their mutual friend, he wasn't going to give away the store.  "No one comes back from death quite like Daniel, though."  Jack found it quite ironic that telling this woman something so near the truth that she obviously wanted was exactly what would put her off.

"Right." Bernadette clipped the word, but tried not to be terribly frustrated: apparently, this man and Daniel had their reasons for their secrets.  "Well, good night, Mr. O'Neill."

Jack watched her head back to her tent.

Author's Note:  It's very important to me that I get the character personalities right: especially SG1, since their characters are already so established.  I want to stay true to that, so review and specifically address whether you think I've erred in that regard – it's extraordinarily helpful.  I'm a little worried about making Jack and Daniel into caricatures, putting too much emphasis on one certain trait or characteristic.  Again, please let me know.  


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Again, super short, but it was kind of an excuse to have fun with the characters. 

Stepping back out into the sunlight, Jack replaced the sunglasses that he'd taken off after entering the storeroom. He saw Daniel having a cup of coffee and reading something, and decided to join him. 

"Hey." Jack said simply, taking a seat across from Daniel. 

"Oh, hey Jack." The archaeologist replied, looking up only briefly before resuming his reading.

O'Neill sat silently, waiting to be acknowledged, for only a few more moments. 

"I've been hanging out with Elena and Otto all day."

"In the new storeroom they found?" Daniel asked, still reading.

Jack rested his arms on the table, twiddling his thumbs. "Yeah." He stared out into the desert at a cloud of dust in the distance. "I played archaeologist." He explained. "I dug around in the dirt, I found someone's old coffee cup, I put a little tag on it." Jack paused, still waiting for Daniel to join the rather one-sided conversation. "I wanted to name it. Boris maybe." He told his friend. 

Jack got a quick glance as Daniel, head still down over his book, peered over the top of his glasses, raising his eyebrows.

"Elena said you don't name things like that." Jack added.

"No." Daniel replied simply, as he resumed his reading.

"Otto was with me though." Jack removed his cap, set it down on the table and thoroughly mussed his hair before leaning forward and lowering his voice a little. "Tell me," he inquired, "is he a little crazy? Otto, I mean."

Daniel looked at Jack blankly; "No... no... no... Absolutely not." He replied a little unconvincingly, then thought better of it. "Only a little bit."

Jack leaned back again. "Right." He thought for a moment. "There's no chance he's going to find, like... a _weapon_ or anything like that anywhere around here, is there?"

"Well, I don't know Jack. We're in the middle of the Iraqi desert. You tell me." Daniel replied smugly.

Before Jack could say anything else about it, his attention was drawn back to the dust cloud, which was rapidly approaching. "Who's that?" he asked, half standing to get a better look.

Daniel was silent for awhile as he also watched the cloud. "Dr. Harrison Bailey." He answered. 


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Short, short, short. Again, I appeal to the fact that I am a dialogue person. Please continue to be patient with me!

As they waited for the tall, dark-haired man to approach, Jack thought Daniel looked extraordinarily anxious. He was standing in typical Daniel fashion, with his arms wrapped tightly around his body, but he looked nervous, which was far from typical Daniel. He was no longer one easily daunted, thanks to many a gould encounter. This made Jack immediately wary and suspicious of the dark-eyed man who now stood before them. 

Daniel indicated with a hand. "Jack, this is -"

"Dr. Harrison Bailey, the third." The stranger interrupted haughtily.

"The third?" Jack repeated. "Huh." He stuck out a hand. "Jack O'Neill... the first... and only... well, maybe not only..." He resorted to flippancy to throw off this man who seemed to be trying to intimidate him.

Bailey shook the offered hand and didn't back down. "And how do you know our friend Daniel?"

Jack's hands went to his pockets and he bounced on his heels as Daniel seemed to be looking everywhere but at Bailey. 

"We work together." Jack answered. 

"Oh?" Bailey questioned, a lilt to his voice that thoroughly irritated Jack. "What is it exactly that Daniel does now? Museum curator? A librarian, perhaps?" 

"Well, actually," Jack replied, beginning to have a little bit of fun. "that would be classified, Mr. Bailey."

"What a shame." Bailey raised an eyebrow. "And _actually_, that's _Dr_. Bailey, Mr. O'Neill."

"Ah!" Jack held up a finger. "That would be _Colonel_ O'Neill, _Dr_. Bailey."

"Colonel, eh?" he turned his attention to Daniel, who was uncomfortably silent. "Have you joined the _military_, Daniel?"

Daniel's eyes finally focused on the older man. "No." his brow furrowed. "No. I... consult." He supplied.

"I see." Bailey narrowed his eyes and plastered on the most facetious of smiles. "Well, I should go have a look at this temple shouldn't I?" he asked rhetorically. "That is," he added, "assuming you haven't found everything there is to be found, Daniel."

Jack and Daniel watched the man walk away and head towards the temple. 

"Jack?" Daniel spoke up at Bailey's entrance.

The colonel turned to face the archaeologist. "What?" he asked, not intending the question to sound quite so confrontational as it came out.

"You really think it was best to announce that you're in the military?" Daniel had relaxed noticeably but was still. off. 

Jack began walking back to the table and Daniel followed. "You have a problem with it?"

Daniel absently rubbed the back of his neck. "It could make things difficult."

"You think someone's gonna guess what we do?" Jack questioned.

"What exactly is it that we do?" Daniel shot back.

Jack stopped abruptly and faced the younger man, staring at him for a moment. "Space... television... detecting..."

"Deep space radar telemetry." Daniel supplied.

"I was gonna get there." Jack defended.

"Right." Daniel began walking again.

"Alright!" Jack called after him, jumping a bit to catch up. "He was getting on my nerves and I wanted to shut him up."

Daniel smiled glumly to his side. "You got played."

Now it was Jack who stopped Daniel. "No." he stated. "If I let him play me I would have given him a lot more than my rank. I've been doing the covert thing a lot longer than you, Daniel. I didn't give anything up that they didn't already know. Bernadette -" he pointed out, "she guessed it the minute I got here. You don't think the others did?"

Daniel crossed one arm over his chest while his other hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sorry. You're right." 

"Daniel!" Jack automatically began, before his friend's words caught up to his brain. "What?"

"You're right." Daniel repeated. "I said: you're right."

"Yes." Jack agreed, not a little confused at the lack of argument. "I am." 

Daniel sighed. "I'm gonna go back to the temple." 

Jack watched Daniel follow the steps Bailey had just taken. "Right." He said to no one but himself. 


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: Three chapters in one night, baby!

Studying by a small kerosene lamp as dusk approached, Daniel removed his glasses and rubbed a hand across his eyes. Frustration hit him all at once, and he shut the reference book he'd been looking through and pushed it roughly aside. Elbows on the small table, he buried his face in his hands.

"Daniel?" Jack questioned, having watched the whole thing as he sat on his own bedroll, playing Solitaire. He threw a card toward the other man after getting no response. "Daniel!" 

Daniel turned around in his chair, surprised after being hit with the card. "Yeah?"

"What's _with_ you?" Jack questioned.

"Uh, nothing." Daniel answered, turning back to the table. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he repeated.

"Jack - "

The colonel in Jack decided to cut right to the center of his team member's issues. "Who is this guy Bailey, and why are you letting him intimidate you?" 

Daniel sighed and slumped down in his chair, feeling defeated. "You don't understand."

"Well, explain it to me." Jack replied shortly to his friend's back. 

Daniel stood and faced him. "Harrison Bailey is the most brilliant -"

"Why is everyone so insistent upon kissing his ass?" Jack interrupted, not being able to restrain himself. Upon seeing Daniel's flustered look, he continued. "Every single one of you, with the exception of Elena, seems to be under the impression that he's some big shot when he's really just an arrogant -"

"Jack, I'm in over my head here." Daniel confessed earnestly, not allowing his friend to finish.

"You think you're not good enough?" Jack questioned incredulously.

"I'm not!" Daniel nearly shouted. "I can't do this! I'm getting nowhere!" he gestured wildly.

"Do you see the way these guys look at you?" Jack set the cards he was still holding aside. "Do you hear the way they talk about you?"

"Jack -"

"Not to mention the fact," he interrupted again, "that you're doing things they can't even imagine. Every day you go to work and..." Jack floundered, "examine deep space... something."

"Yeah." Daniel began pacing.

Jack watched him for a few moments and softened his tone. "Daniel -" 

Daniel stopped and wrapped his arms around himself defensively. protectively, his own voice also more subdued. "It's not about me wanting to prove myself or to - to redeem myself or return to academia; I hear the way they talk about me. Do you?" he asked. "Really? All I hear is the promise I had, the potential before I threw it all away. Without a research grant, without being published, you're nothing. You mean nothing." Daniel sighed again. "I'm gonna go back to the temple." He turned to leave. 

"Maybe you should take a break." Jack called out, effectively stopping the archaeologist, if only briefly.

"This _is_ my break, Jack." Daniel answered without turning around. "Look," he continued, facing Jack again and sounding incredibly tired, "we're due back in three days. One of those days will be spent flying. I came here to help, and so far I haven't done much of anything. What good am I if -"

"Daniel." Jack silenced him. "Listen to yourself. 'What good are you?'"

Daniel closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped noticeably. "I'll come get you if I find anything." 

Jack looked at the flap of the tent for a few seconds before picking up his cards and throwing them, one at a time, toward it.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I've gotta admit, this chapter ends with a bit of a mean trick on my part... but don't worry. More will come quickly. 

Daniel sighed and looked at his watch: it was either very late or very early, depending on how he chose to think about it. He'd been in the temple for hours and hours now, preferring to think in the empty silence and study by a flashlight over being in his tent under Jack's ever-watching eyes. An extraordinarily talented and able officer in the United States Air Force, Jack was also a close friend and could usually read Daniel pretty well. And Daniel had to admit to himself, much as he didn't want to, that he had been acting strangely since learning of Bailey's involvement with the site. 

Harrison Bailey was never easily understood, and he had always been very antagonistic toward Daniel, always trying to compete, trying to provoke the younger man. Though Daniel had tried, many, many times, years and years ago, to reconcile the animosity between them, Bailey would have none of it. His presence now served to bring out feelings in Daniel that he'd been able to suppress for some time. 

Now, as he sat in the emptiness, completely void of anything but sand and air, hours of research behind him, he'd still gotten nowhere. The whole thing was like some absurd powder keg, ready to burst: all of his past failures were rushing at him; he closed his eyes, only to have images flash like some sadistic slideshow across his eyelids. Even the blank walls of the temple taunted him, daring him to make another attempt at unlocking the mysteries and riddles they held. In what he imagined as a temporary white flag of surrender, Daniel stretched out on the grainy tile of the room's floor. Reaching his arms behind his head to use them as a pillow, Daniel felt his hand knock over his forgotten and neglected cup of coffee.

"Damn." He muttered.

Somehow, Daniel couldn't bring himself to care quite enough to clean up his mess just yet, so he remained as he was. After several moments, however, Daniel's eyes opened widely. He listened intently: apart from the initial clanking of the cup falling over, there was another sound - it was a... dripping... much like a leaky faucet. Daniel rolled over onto his stomach, lightly brushing his fingers over the damp spots where the coffee had spilled. He followed the little trail and began feeling around the tile where it had dropped off. Scrambling about, Daniel grabbed the nearest tool he could find: a crowbar. Working quickly, he chipped away the sand-cement that held the tiles together and slowly pried up the first tile he could. Instead of being met by more sand or layers of floor, there was a dark, empty space. Daniel shone his flashlight down: it was another room.

Excited and re-energized, Daniel renewed his chipping and prying until he was able to pull enough away, creating a hole big enough for himself to pass through. Securing his flashlight to his wrist, Daniel lowered himself into the darkness.

Eyes long-adjusted to the darkness, Daniel could see enough to know that he was only a few feet from the bottom as he hung from the room above, and he managed to drop down gracefully. Turning his light about the room, Daniel closed his eyes and tried not to be discouraged: it appeared this room was just another empty, inscriptionless space with no clues to indicate what it was for or who it was for. 

And then the light came across something on a far wall. Daniel focused the beam on the object: it was a reddish-colored half-sphere that was raised up from the wall, much like the ones he had known the Asguard to use. 

Daniel walked cautiously forward and slowly extended a hand. Upon touching the sphere, a jolt of energy went through him, and Daniel collapsed, very much unconscious. 


	13. Chapter 13

Placing his cap backwards on his head, Jack looked around.  There was still no sign of Daniel:  the archaeologist hadn't come back to the tent the night before.  Jack strode off in the direction of the temple, half-expecting to find an anthropologist/linguist/whatever-the-hell-else-Daniel-was passed out from self-imposed exhaustion and stress when he got there.  Instead, upon stepping inside, Jack was surprised to find that Daniel didn't seem to be there either.  He took in the scene before him:  an upturned coffee cup, a crowbar, debris... the haste with which Daniel had acted was evident, and Jack couldn't help but be a little aggravated that Daniel hadn't come to get help or any kind of backup before venturing into the unknown; he hadn't even secured so much as a rope so that he could climb back out of the hole he'd apparently crawled into.  Jack sighed: it was typical Daniel.

Ambling over to the edge of the drop, Jack called down, impatience in his voice.  "Daniel?"  Getting no answer, Jack knelt down and stuck his head into the semi-darkness.  "Daniel!" he shouted, louder.  His eyes traveled around the dimly-lit room, and lingered on a lump at the far end.  "Dammit, Daniel!" he cursed: his friend had indeed passed out, though certainly not from exhaustion; he was sprawled as if he had been thrown back with considerable force.  Jack leapt up and ran outside.       

"Kurt! Bernadette!" he called out in the direction of the rest of the camp as he spotted the rest of the survey team.   "Hell, Bailey!  Get over here!" he shouted desperately.  "Kurt, bring some rope!" Jack ran back to the hole and carefully lowered himself down, mentally cursing Daniel for the jolt he felt in his knees.  He went to his friend's side, kneeling. "Daniel?" he shook him gently, "Daniel."   

Blue eyes fluttered open and confusion was etched all over Daniel's face.  "Ow." He stated, a little belatedly.  

Jack patted him lightly on the shoulder before asking, "What the hell did you touch?" 

Daniel blinked.  "I don't know." His forehead creased.  "I don't think I -" he stumbled over his thoughts, "are we on -"

"We're in Iraq, Daniel." Jack filled in, giving Daniel a warning look, knowing that the conversation could be heard by the scientists who were now gathered above and peering down.  He also decided it best not to ask about whatever was on the wall that he'd caught sight of.

"Yeah." Daniel shook his head a little, as if attempting to clear the cobwebs. "Yeah." He repeated, attempting to sit up, but getting only as far as raising his head. "Ow." He winced and laid his head back down.

"Hold still a minute." Jack advised, looking to Kurt.  

"We've got it up here, Jack." Pendry told him, indicating that they had secured a rope.

Jack focused on Daniel again, getting ready to support his body weight.  "Can you stand?" he questioned.

Daniel thought a moment.  "Yeah." He replied, grabbing onto Jack's arm for leverage.  Under their combined strength, they were able to get him back on his feet quickly.  "Wow." Daniel blinked furiously and held a hand to his head.

"What?" Jack asked, concerned about a concussion or some equally bad thing.

"Head rush."  Daniel took his hand away from Jack's steadying arm and waited to regain his equilibrium.

Jack gestured, "After you."

Daniel took a wobbly step forward. "Right."  

Jack remained below as Daniel slowly managed to climb the few feet up the rope, hoping to at least cushion the younger man's fall should the need arise.  After Daniel was pulled up and being sufficiently fussed over by the women, Jack followed.  As soon as he was up, he turned back to his friend.

"So, Daniel, what did you do last night?" he joked.

Daniel waved a hand, lamely as Elena pushed a cup of water at him.  "I found it late... early... this morning... sometime." He answered, "I spilled my coffee..." as if that explained everything.

"Ah!" Kurt clapped his hands together excitedly.  "Daniel and his coffee!"

Bailey was not so excited.  "Fool!" he berated, taking an aggressive step toward Daniel, who was still sitting defenseless on the floor.  "You shouldn't have been in here!  Your arrogance and carelessness will be the death of all of us." Bailey turned to his colleagues, "The rest of you are fools right along with him for allowing someone so inept to even be -"

"Hey!" Jack shouted, standing.  "At least he found something!"

"Jack -" Daniel began, while also attempting to stand, with Kurt's help.

"No, Daniel."  Jack silenced him angrily. "You found whatever this is and that - _thing_ on the wall." he waved at the hole they'd just emerged from.  "I'm not an archaeologist, but I'm pretty damn sure that's better than _putzing_ around and looking at the same room for months on end!" he shouted, directing his hostility toward Bailey.

Bailey narrowed his eyes and took a step toward Jack in what he must've thought was a frightening display.  "What are you suggesting, Colonel?"

Unfortunately for him, he was pretty far off base in thinking he could frighten an Air Force Colonel, let alone Jack O'Neill.  "I'm not _suggesting _anything; I think I was pretty clear: Daniel found something," he clarified, "actually a couple somethings, and you found squat!"

Bernadette cleared her throat uncomfortably.  "Why don't we all just step outside for some fresh air...  maybe have some breakfast." She suggested, moving toward the sunlight, and tugging on Bailey's arm.  He reluctantly followed with many a backwards glance before he could be heard, outside, muttering and cursing loudly.  Kurt looked at Jack and Daniel and then decided to leave as well, he himself pulling Elena along, despite her protests about Daniel needing help.

Daniel waited for everyone else to leave.  "For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I appreciate it."

Jack glared at him.  "Don't get too excited; _I _still want to know what the hell you were doing in there by yourself." Seeing Daniel drop his head and stare at his feet, Jack sighed and removed his cap, rubbing his forehead roughly. "Look," he told Daniel.  "forget it.  You okay?"

Daniel's head popped back up.  "Yeah." He answered.  "You?"

"Bailey's buggin' me." Jack confessed.

"Really?" Daniel asked facetiously.  Jack glared.   "So, breakfast, huh?" Daniel made a quick change of subject.

"Yeah." Jack followed Daniel out of the temple, a few steps behind.  "No coffee." He ordered.

"Right." Daniel answered.

"Seriously." 

"I heard you."


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Notes:  Finally... the story actually begins to have a plot... go figure.  Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing and sticking out this trial and error process with me.  ;)  You are much appreciated!  I can't tell you how tickled I am to get feedback!

Daniel blinked several times: everything was hazy.  Slowly, his vision cleared.  He looked around and recognized that he was back in the temple, but he couldn't remember when or how he had come back.  He moved to turn toward the doorway, but as he did, something caught his eye... there was writing on one of the walls.  He walked toward it, squinting as he attempted to read the script:  it was Babylonian cuneiform - something he knew.  He held out a hand, mumbling as his fingers traced along where he was translating.  

_A runner, a thief is the daughter of heaven..._

Suddenly, the text began to fade.  Daniel pulled his hand away quickly and stared, amazed, as it came back into focus.  He paused a moment, looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary... or at least more out of the ordinary than ancient writing that appeared and disappeared at random.  

_The daughter of heaven is one of the gods..._

The text flickered again, and Daniel closed his eyes, dizzy from the strobe-like effect.  

"I know this.  I know this..." he told himself.  He looked back at the wall; the cuneiform was clear as it had first been.  Daniel continued reading:

_Her head is a..._

The little triangles and dots were fading quickly now; Daniel struggled to keep reading.

..._lion's head..._

...And then they were gone completely.

"Hey!  Wait!" Daniel implored the wall.  "I need more than that!"

"Daniel!" came a somewhat urgent-sounding voice from somewhere.

Daniel spun on his heel, turning to see who was there.   

"Daniel, wake up!" Jack poked him roughly.

Daniel's eyes shot open, and he took a deep, quick breath - too deep, as he immediately began coughing.

"What?!" he gasped.

"You were having a nightmare." Jack explained.

"Yeah." Daniel tried desperately to remember what he'd been dreaming about, but couldn't seem to get a handle on it.  "Yeah." He repeated.

"You okay?" Jack poked Daniel again.  

Daniel automatically began feeling around for his glasses in the dim light, but couldn't find them.  "Yeah." He answered.  "Uh... sorry."

"For what?" Jack questioned.

"I must've... I mean, you're awake..." Daniel gave up his search and answered sheepishly.

"I was already awake." 

Daniel took a moment to process that information and looked around.  Even without the aid of his glasses, he could see that the little bit of light in the tent was coming from a kerosene lamp, and Jack was sitting on his bedroll, fully dressed, knees pulled up to his chest.  Daniel made a face.  "You're keeping watch?"

"We're in Iraq, for cryin' out loud." Jack answered.  "It doesn't stop being a good idea just 'cause we're not... doing space television..."

Daniel raised his eyebrows disapprovingly.  "You _are _going to have to learn it someday, you know."

"Whatever." Jack dismissed.  "Go back to sleep."

Daniel shifted and made himself more comfortable.  "When are you going to sleep?"

"I'll catch a few hours later this morning." Jack answered.

"I thought you were going to help Elena tomorrow." Daniel reminded the colonel.  "Why'd you come if you weren't going to help?"

"I've helped!" he defended.  "Besides, my main priority is to keep you out of trouble." 

Daniel raised his eyebrows.  "And how's that working out for you so far?"

Jack glowered menacingly.

"Night, Jack." Daniel rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note:  You asked for it, you got it, but I'm afraid this didn't turn out quite like I wanted... Dig in through this chapter... the next one should be better and a little bit more involved.  

Daniel climbed out of the lower room of the temple and yawned.  Somehow, even though he had slept for quite awhile, he felt extraordinarily tired.  Even now, he had taken an uncharacteristic break from examining the little bits of writing that were found next to the half-sphere to get a cup of coffee.  As he stepped out into the afternoon sunshine, his eyes immediately focused on two familiar people: 

"Sam?" he questioned.  "Murray?!"  

Both Sam and Teal'c smiled when they saw their missing team member.  Teal'c cocked his head. 

"Daniel Jackson." He greeted.

"Jack?" Daniel turned to the colonel.

Jack shrugged his shoulders.  "I put in a call."

Sam smiled all the more brightly.  "I wanted to get a look at that sphere you found." She supplied.

"And we couldn't leave Murray out of the fun." Jack jumped back in. "The really good news is, now you've got all the time you need."  He explained.  "You can play with rocks and read squiggles all you want."

Daniel unconsciously clenched his jaw; he wasn't necessarily unhappy that the rest of SG1 had arrived – in fact, it was almost comforting, as they seemed to function best together... but he was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy in this place, and he couldn't quite put a finger on why.

Jack picked up on Daniel's unspoken concern and immediately tried to placate it.  "Lighten up, Daniel."  He slapped the archaeologist on the back.  "This'll be _fun_."  

Daniel raised his eyebrows skeptically and crossed his arms.

"You know all those weird stones Elena and Otto have been looking at?  We'll build a tower..."  Jack enthused, holding out his arms in an indication of size as he walked away.

Teal'c nodded his head and smiled again, following the colonel.

Sam gave Daniel an encouraging kind of smile.  "If you can't beat 'em..." She squeezed his arm lightly and also followed after Jack.

Daniel stood, watching his team for a moment before dropping his head in defeat and stepping in line a bit behind Sam.

***

As it turned out, Jack hadn't been serious about building a tower, for which Daniel was eternally grateful.  Instead, after dropping off Sam and Teal'c's gear, the other two members of SG1 had been shown the temple and the storerooms, also being introduced to the members of the archaeological team.  Teal'c and Otto seemed to be some kind of crazy, antithetical kindred spirits; Kurt was thrilled to meet more friends of Daniel; Bailey was conceited and superior as ever, apparently thinking he had more people to impress; Bernadette was still prodding for answers; and Elena was focused on one member of SG1 in particular.

As soon as they had stepped into the storeroom she was working in, the older woman pounced.

"Daniel," she patted his arm gently. "You must introduce me." Elena gave what she must've thought was an inconspicuous wink.  "Who is this beautiful girl?" 

Daniel smiled at the ground.  "Elena, this is Sam Carter." He looked Elena straight on.  "She's a friend."  Daniel continued his introduction, "Sam, this is Dr. Elena Perez."

"Dr. Perez, it's good to meet you." Sam politely replied, holding out a hand to shake.

Elena took the offered hand in both of hers and held on.  "Sam: that's a nickname for Samantha?" she asked.

Sam nodded and kept smiling, finding Elena incredibly warm and sweet.  "Yes, ma'am."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." Elena complemented.  She leaned in closer to Sam.  "We must sit and talk – tonight - at dinner."

"I would like that, Doctor."

"Please, Elena." She instructed, finally releasing Sam's hand.

"And, this is Murray." Daniel presented, as Elena stepped closer to the large man.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.  "Aren't you a beast!"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"I am not an animal, Dr. Perez." He intoned.

"Of course not, dear;" Elena chuckled a bit.  "I bet you're as gentle as a Teddy Bear!" she nodded approvingly. 

"Neither am I a stuffed child's toy." Teal'c replied.

Not knowing quite how to respond, Elena smiled awkwardly, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

"Oh!" Jack jumped in to end the conversation that seemed to be getting weirder by the moment. "Look at the time!" he made a great show of looking at his watch.  "Daniel, I think you and I were gonna do dinner tonight... let's get on that, huh?"  He turned to Teal'c: "Murray, ya big Teddy Bear!" he exclaimed.  "Carter, you can help too." Jack turned and left the storeroom.

Daniel pursed his lips and stared at his feet.

Sam smiled pleasantly, nodded a good-bye, and followed Jack.

Teal'c tilted his head, eyebrow still raised in confusion, and followed Sam.

Daniel finally looked up at Elena, who was still very perplexed at Murray's lack of understanding common slang.  

"I'm just gonna –" Daniel gestured aimlessly before sticking his hands in his pockets and following after Teal'c.

Elena took a deep breath, frowned slightly, and went back to work.  

***

Having just served herself a plate of food, Elena spotted the young woman she'd met earlier in the day.  "Samantha." She called her, waving a hand. "Come, sit with me."  

Sam obliged, skillfully balancing silverware, plate and cup as she made her way to the older woman.  

As soon as Sam sat down, Elena began the interrogation.  "So how is it that you know our Daniel?"

Sam took a sip of her coffee.  "Well, uh, we work together."  

Elena smiled.  "It's a good way to get to know someone."  She winked.  "Daniel's very special."

Sam smiled; she found Elena very sweet and very amusing – the woman liked to wink a lot... "Yes, he is."

"Are you... involved?"

"With Daniel?" Sam was a little taken aback.  "No." she replied immediately.  "No.  We're..." she searched for an appropriate term, but settled for: "...very close friends."  

Elena frowned a little, then tried a different tactic.  "It's too bad; you compliment each _so_ other well."  Just as Elena was about to say something else, Daniel himself appeared.   "Daniel!" she exclaimed.  

"May I sit for a moment?" he asked, pulling a canvas chair over.

"Of course." Elena attempted to cover her shock.

Daniel smiled knowingly.  "Elena, you wouldn't be asking Sam to, I don't know, marry me or anything like that, would you?"

Elena put a hand to her heart, doing her best to exude innocence.  "I would never do such a thing, Daniel.  Where he gets these ideas..." she trailed off.

Daniel turned to Sam, who was now smiling as well, observing the relationship that the Daniel and Elena shared.  "Anytime we work together, I always end up hearing about at least one beautiful young woman I absolutely have to meet." Daniel explained.  

Elena looked lovingly at him, placing a hand on his knee.  "I'm only looking out for you, Daniel."

"Yes.  I know that."  Daniel answered warmly, standing back up.  He turned to go back to the conversation he'd been having with Kurt, but paused.  He was about to speak, but instead just shook his head and smiled even more broadly.  

"Such a wonderful boy." Elena admired, as both women watched him return to his own seat and pick back up with Pendry.  "So..." Elena broke the brief moment of silence.  "Samantha... tell me, is Daniel not... your type?"

"We work together." Sam answered, thinking that answer would be sufficient.

"Many couples work together." Elena pointed out.  "Many couples find each other through their work.  Kurt found his late wife that way: she was a physical anthropologist.  They worked together in Egypt."  

"He was married." Sam returned.

"Kurt?" Elena questioned.  "Yes.  Lovely woman."  

Sam shook her head.  "I'm sorry, I meant..." her voice softened.  "Daniel was married."

"Daniel?" Elena was joyful for a moment, then picked up on Sam's subtlety.  "Was married, but no longer?"

"She... passed away." Sam confided.  "A few years ago.  They were only married a short time, but he loved her... very much."

Elena suddenly looked very sad.  "She must have been very special if she caught our Daniel's attention," she reflected as she watched Daniel; it was evident, even without hearing his words, that he was speaking to Kurt with a great deal of passion about something.

Sam nodded, following Elena's gaze.  "I didn't get to know her that well; I wish I would've gotten that chance... but she certainly did have his attention, and he had hers."    

Author's Notes:  Okay, so... like I said, this chapter didn't turn out like I intended, and it's actually a little awkward, but I kept it in, even though it doesn't really do anything for the plot (with the exception of getting Sam and Teal'c to the site, which was rather anticlimactic; sorry).  There were lots of little things that I thought were important to the characters:  Teal'c's reactions to Otto and Elena (I got a huge kick out of imagining Teal'c and Otto getting along really well; Teal'c, by the way, is incredibly hard for me to write for... as is Sam a little... I suppose that's just 'cause they don't have many obvious, typical things they do, unlike Jack and Daniel... at least in my opinion); playing with the closeness of the Daniel/Sam friendship; Elena's reaction to Daniel being married... all things that were very important to me that I couldn't quite figure in to the rest of the story, because I'm not nearly crafty enough.  Again, I'm a dialogue person - I come up with lines and then try to fit them into the plot; this is evidence that it doesn't always work.  

You also may have noticed that I'm trying to avoid a specific timeline here; I don't really know where this story falls into the arc of the show... you can decide that for yourself, I guess, although I am gonna say it's after the third Season, since obviously Sha're is dead (that, and I really like Daniel's hair short as opposed to long).  


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Notes:  So, this chapter is infinitely more fun than the last; I think it's my favorite so far.  I had a lot of fun with the rhythm of speaking; I'm not sure it came across all that well, but that's okay, I guess.  Oh yeah, and there's some pretty important plot stuff going on... whatever...

Daniel was writing furiously in his journal.  He stopped, and thought... "Sam?" he called out.  "Come take a look at this."  

Sam herself had been keeping Daniel company, examining some of the stones that Elena had been studying: they were grey and smooth, and looked like they had been carved.  Sam set them aside and stood next to Daniel.  "What am I looking at?" she asked, staring at the wall he was so intent upon.

"Well, as you know, at first I thought this might be like those spheres that...Thor and his friends used." Daniel explained.  "But nothing happens if you touch it." Journal in one hand and his pen in his mouth, Daniel walked forward and placed his hand in the middle of the circle, demonstrating.  "It also looks a little different; it looks like there might be some kind of fluid inside..." He slurred around the pen before taking it out of his mouth and stepping back. He waved his hand in front of the red half-sphere in a circular motion, miming the swirling that Sam could faintly see. "Anyway, I got to thinking about the riddles that we'd encountered before... look here."  Sam stepped forward to get a better look at what the archaeologist was pointing at.  "There are hash marks." He told her.  "I think it might be a sort of... combination lock."  

"Okay."  Sam replied, half-smiling.  "What's the combination?"

Daniel looked at her blankly.  "I don't know." He frowned and focused his attention elsewhere, pointing with his pen.  "This is Babylonian cuneiform.  At first I thought this was some variation of the text, but I think it's... a decimal point.  Or at least a place marker of some sort." He paused, taking a look at his notes.  "If I'm right, it's 2.728.  Now, my Calculus is a little sketchy, but –"

"Logarithms." Sam concluded.

"Right."

"It's base _e_." She expounded.  "Natural logarithms." Sam found her curiosity growing.  "What else is there?"  

Daniel continued pointing to various portions of text.  "Well, this is a number, and then this would indicate weight, or mass... and this indicates the passage of time."

Sam shrugged and shook her head.  "I don't know."  

Daniel stared for a moment.  "Alright." He moved on.  "This... uh, well, this is simple subtraction, I think.  This indicates the smallest measurement of time:  If you have 5 and remove 3..."

"2 seconds?  Were they advanced enough to get to seconds?" Sam asked, referring to ancient Babylon.

Daniel raised his eyebrows.  "Well, if it's Thor's technology..."

Sam nodded.  "Okay.  What else?"

"This is... just a..."  Daniel searched for a better word; any word other than the one he currently had: "...squiggle." he finished lamely, inwardly frowning at resorting to a Jackism.

"A squiggle?" Sam was surprised as well.

"I don't recognize it." Daniel explained.  "It's not any kind of word or... or letter." He looked back down at his journal.  "I don't know."  

Sam studied the squiggle for a moment; suddenly, it became clearer.  "Wait." She touched Daniel's arm, getting his attention.  "What's that?" she pointed to some shapes that were above the line.

Daniel looked at it.  "Uh, it's just a number."   

"And this one too?" Sam pointed to some text below the line.

Daniel nodded.  "Yeah."  

"You think there's some sort of fluid inside this thing?" Sam was growing more excited: pieces of the puzzle were clicking for her.

"It's just a guess." Daniel replied, waiting for her to expound so the puzzle could come together for him as well.

"It's looking for amplitude." Sam answered, somewhat triumphantly.

Daniel's brow furrowed; it wasn't yet clear to him.  "Amplitude of what?"

"I don't know." Sam told him, "But I think this squiggle is a sine wave." She followed the curve with her finger.  "If I'm right, then these all make up the formula for damped oscillations." She gestured in the general direction of everything Daniel had just pointed out to her.

Instead of growing less confused, Daniel was becoming more so.  "For what?"

Sam looked over at him, taking in his body language; she attempted to simplify.  "Okay: you throw a tennis ball into a tank of water.  What happens with each bounce?"

"It loses energy." Daniel answered.

"Right, because of the resistance of the water.  It loses amplitude.  You find the final amplitude by finding the product of the initial times base _e_ to the quantity of time divided by 2 times the decay time.  It's physics."  After her explanation of the equation for damped oscillations, Sam wasn't surprised to find Daniel still looking a little bewildered. "Can you write down all these numbers for me?" she asked.

A few minutes later, after Daniel had given her all the data, and with the help of a good calculator, Sam was well on her way to solving the equation.

"Okay." She said, entering the last number.  She stared at it for a moment.  "Wow." 

"What?" Daniel peered over her shoulder to look at the display.

"It's a round number." Sam replied.  "I mean, significant digits alone –" 

"It's incredibly advanced." Daniel filled in.

"Yeah." She affirmed.  "How many hash marks are there?"

Daniel walked back over to the sphere.  "Uh... seven."

Sam thought, then nodded.  "Okay.  Turn it to five... then two... then six."

Daniel did as told.  He took a step closer, putting his ear to the stone circle.  "Hear that?"

"Yeah." Sam came up next to him.

"Whatever's inside..." Daniel continued listening, "it's draining."

Daniel took a step back again, startled by something.  Sam followed his line of sight: more writing had appeared, this time glowing on the sphere itself.  

Sam looked at Daniel.  "Now what?"

"I don't know." He replied, leafing through his journal as Jack walked in.  

"Hey kids." Jack greeted.  "Whatcha doin?" Almost immediately, he noticed the glowing shapes. "Well, that's new."

"It's the number one over...time..." Daniel spoke up.

"Frequency." Said Sam.

"Physics?" came Daniel.

"What?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah." Sam nodded excitedly.  "I'm guessing we have to emit some frequency and direct it toward this... lock."

"Lock?" Jack tried to catch up with what was happening.

"You can find the frequency?" Daniel plowed right over him.

"Yeah." As did Sam.  "We have time and amplitude."

"Hey!" Jack shouted, waving his arms crazily.  "What the heck are you two talking about?"

Sam turned to her commanding officer.  "Sorry, Sir" she apologized.  "Daniel figured out that this sphere is a sort of lock."

Daniel nodded.  "And after I translated the symbols, Sam figured out that this was an equation for damped oscillations."

"Which made sense since Daniel thought there might be fluid inside the sphere." Continued Sam.

"So Sam made a calculation based on the equation and the values given, gave me the combination, and made the water drain." Daniel added.

"At which point this appeared, which Daniel said is one over time, which is –"

"Frequency?" Jack joined the conversation again.

"Exactly." Daniel answered.

"What?" Jack asked.

"What?" Daniel repeated.

The two men stared at one another for a moment...

"Sir," Carter caught the attention of both again, "if we emit the correct frequency, we can open whatever this opens.  If I use our coms and maybe the CB from one of the –"

"Hold on a minute!" Jack cut her off.  "First of all, this thing is probably locked for a good reason!  Second of all, that's a pretty lame-ass lock, if all you have to do is whistle at it –"

"I think it's more advanced than that, Sir." Sam told him.  "Based on the numbers I've calculated, the frequency is going to be very high; much higher than anything the human ear can detect.  I don't think any random noise is going to do it.  Besides which, there was the fluid in the sphere. Without draining it, the frequency never would have been correct."

"Not to mention figuring out the frequency to begin with." Daniel pointed out.  "And it wasn't exactly easy getting down here."

Jack raised and finger, head bobbing up and down.  "Which brings us back to the first point: what are we gonna let out?"

"Jack –"

"Ah!" the colonel silenced Daniel with a hand.  "Sit tight." He ordered.  "We'll open the thing, but I wanna get Teal'c in here first." He turned to leave. "Don't touch anything while I'm gone!" he called behind him.  

Daniel's forehead creased; he picked up his journal and flipped a page.  He paused, then stuck out a hand toward the circle again.

"Daniel!" the younger man turned, seeing Jack's head hanging down from the floor above.  "What'd I just say?"

Author's Notes:  The physics stuff I think should be pretty accurate – unfortunately, I had to take the class... Calculus-based Physics is not my Phriend.  


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Notes:  Plot!  Plot!  There's more plot!  Isn't this exciting?  ;)  Thanks for the continuing reviews: really very encouraging... I fear I've begun to crave affirmation... I check my email waaaaaay too many times a day to see if anyone new has read and reviewed the latest chapter... it's pretty sad for me.  Please keep filling my lame little existence with your criticism/support.

*****

Daniel began pacing the small room.  Every few turns, he would make an attempt to stand still, only to journey the same path seconds later.  Sam sat cross-legged on the tile floor, elbows on her knees, and head in her hands: using the radio from one of the jeeps and one of SG1's communication radios, she was indeed able to rig up something that would emit the correct frequency that she and Daniel hypothesized would open whatever it was the sphere-lock opened.  Her job was done; unfortunately, Daniel hadn't really had a job since Colonel O'Neill had left – his excitement had been growing steadily and exponentially until it could barely be contained.  Sam half-expected that he would spontaneously combust at any moment.  The archaeologist had set his ambition aside long enough to have the foresight to keep the other members of the civilian team away while SG1 was investigating, though he hadn't told Sam how he'd managed to keep them away on the verge of so great a discovery. It took great will power for Daniel to pull himself away from the temple long enough to even perform such a duty, and Sam was a little surprised that Colonel O'Neill hadn't returned yet, especially knowing how anxious Daniel would get. In some dark corner of her mind, Sam suspected that maybe this was the colonel's way of teaching Daniel the virtue of patience.  

"Alright!  Let's get this show on the road!" the colonel, followed by Teal'c, sauntered down the steps.

"Where've you guys been?" Daniel finally stopped his pacing to stare at them while Sam brought herself back to a standing position.

"Easy, Daniel." Jack gripped his shoulder melodramatically.  "Take a deep breath." The colonel took an exaggerated breath himself, turning his free hand in circles, indicating that Daniel should join him in the breathing exercise.

Sam smiled, but Daniel wasn't finding it all that funny.  He pursed his lips and nodded his head at the mockery.  He raised his eyebrows: "Are you all done, or...?"  he questioned.

Colonel O'Neill lost his smile and dropped his hands.  "Right."  He turned to Sam.  "Carter, we all set?"

"Yes, sir." She replied, holding up the device she'd put together.

Jack turned back to Daniel as Teal'c began pulling zats and berettas out of a duffle bag.  "No one's gonna drop in unexpectedly?"

"No." Daniel returned, his brow furrowing at being handed weapons.  "Kurt's taking care of it." He looked from the zat Teal'c had just given him to his friend.  "What exactly do you think we're gonna find in here, Jack?"

"Daniel, this is gould technology: if we were really gonna do this my way, I'd have a P90 and SG3 and 7 here with us."  He replied before bringing the conversation back around.  "What'd you tell him?"

"I told him to trust me."

Jack thought a moment and nodded.  "Good enough for me." He turned to his side.  "Teal'c?"

"I am ready, O'Neill." The jaffa answered, activating his zat.  

"Carter." Jack smiled and pumped a fist in a 'go get 'em' kind of motion.

Sam nodded her understanding and flipped on the CB.  She adjusted a knob and waited: there was silence.

"Carter?" Jack whispered.

"We won't be able to hear it, Sir."  She answered.  "The frequency is too high."

"Right."  Jack answered.  "I knew that."  He turned to Teal'c:  "I knew that."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in response.  Suddenly, a rumbling could be heard.  

"Daniel?" Jack asked.

The archaeologist looked back, surprised.  "I don't know."

"Carter?" Jack attempted.

"Not a clue, Sir." She replied.

"Teal'c?" was Jack's last resort.

"I have seen no goa'uld technology such as this, O'Neill."  He answered, as two narrow doorways opened out of one wall, creating a shower of dust.

Jack let out a low whistle.  "Cool."  He turned to Daniel.  "This thing stable?"

Daniel however, was interested in other things.  He immediately stepped forward to examine what used to be a wall.  

"This is incredible." He stated.  "We looked all over this wall – there were no seams, no indication of anything –"

"Daniel." Jack tried again, louder this time.

The archaeologist turned and looked, half crouching as he was examining the walls to see how the doors could possibly have been so well hidden.  

"Are we safe in here?" Jack asked again.  

Daniel stood, nodding his head emphatically.  "Yeah.  Yeah.  We should be fine."

"Alright.  Coms on."  Jack ordered.  "Teal'c, you're with Daniel.  Carter, with me." Jack looked at both doorways.  "Teal'c, which one you want?"

"Shall we Roshambo, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Roshambo?" Daniel questioned.  "I don't know what that – is that gould, or...?"

"Rock, paper, scissors." Jack answered.

Daniel thought a moment and then turned toward the door on the left.  "We'll go this way." He called out as he turned on a flashlight and entered the dark passageway.

Jack held out a hand toward the other doorway.  "Ladies first."

Sam turned on her own light and entered the tunnel.  The two officers almost immediately came upon an alcove.  It held a faint glow and was draped on either side by heavy fabric.

"Wonder what's behind curtain number one?" Jack joked as they approached.  

Sam peered in first: "It's a hand device, Sir." She informed him.

Jack looked in for himself.  "Damn." He muttered.  "Alright.  Carter, pack it up."

"Yes, Sir." She answered as he spoke into his radio.

"Teal'c.  Daniel.  You got anything?"

"We have found what appears to be another storeroom, O'Neill." Teal'c's deep voice echoed throughout the mostly empty room that Jack and Sam were in.

"Jack, this is incredible!" Daniel's voice joined in.  "There's enough here to keep Elena, Otto, _and_ Bernadette busy for weeks!" he enthused.  "There are tablets – I think Dr. Bailey could be a great help in translating –"

"It'll keep." Jack interrupted.  "Meet back at the entrance." 

"Jack, what...?" Daniel questioned.

"We found a hand device." Sam supplied into her own com.  

"We will arrive shortly." Teal'c answered. 

It took only a matter of seconds to return to the room with the Asguard sphere, both pairs emerging at the same time.  

"Daniel –" Jack immediately began.

"Wait, Jack."  Daniel jumped in, guessing correctly what his friend was about to say.  "There's no reason to send everyone packing yet.  They could be helpful."

"Yeah.  Or they could dig their way right to a gould." Jack pointed out.

"There's no indication that anything... or anyone is still in here, right Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"I do not sense a presence, Daniel Jackson." He replied.

Daniel turned to Sam.  

"Me neither." She answered honestly. 

"Besides," Daniel turned his argument back to the colonel, "even if there was something at one time, it's probably long dead.  Marduk wouldn't have lasted as long as he did –"

"Except for the fact that he jumped his snaky ass inside that creepy-crawly thing with the great big teeth!" Jack interrupted, holding fingers out as an emphatic indication of teeth.  

Daniel lowered his voice and there was something in his eyes that Jack couldn't figure out, other than to recognize it as the same thing that he had seen in Daniel since his feelings of inadequacy had begun.  "Jack, their expertise could be very valuable.  Dr. Bailey alone –"

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed, giving in.  "Alright." He turned to his second-in-command.  "Carter, put that thing someplace safe."


	18. Chapter 18

Sam looked at the instrument she held – the SGC had been alerted, and had sent supplies accordingly.  Daniel had done some fast-talking and hard convincing, and General Hammond had also agreed to let the other archaeologists remain on site.  Sam wondered a bit about the wisdom of the decision, as Daniel seemed to be taking leave of his sanity, bit by bit.  They were all worried:  Jack had begun to get irritated; Teal'c was ever-watchful, being especially wary around the openly hostile Harrison Bailey.  Sam herself was unsure what to do with this version of Daniel.  It was odd, because he wasn't himself, yet he was.  She knew Colonel O'Neill attributed the odd behavior to Bailey's presence, but Sam wasn't sure that was entirely the case.  She knew Daniel hadn't been sleeping well – she could see it in his physical bearing as well as in his eyes.  Daniel's eyes were always so expressive; now they were filled with frustration and defeat and something else that Sam couldn't identify.  She had seen something similar before: after Sha're had died, after Sarah had been taken, after his descension, when he learned Abydos had been destroyed... she knew he felt inadequate here, even if she couldn't understand why.  In light of this knowledge, she continued to stare at the readout in front of her.  Finally, Sam sighed and headed for the storeroom.  She hated to disappoint Daniel, as she knew the information she had to deliver would.  Entering the room, Sam found the archaeologist deep in thought, one of the smooth, grey stones in one hand, reading back and forth between his journal and a reference book.  He looked up hopefully when he heard her approach.  

Sam frowned.  "Sorry, Daniel. I'm not getting any strange readings.  Trace amounts of naquadah, but that's all." She continued her explanation:  "It could be from the hand device you found."

Daniel stood and rubbed a hand across his forehead.  "Yeah, I should've guessed."  He closed his eyes, "Look, Sam, I can't explain it, but I know something's... off... here." He opened them again, a little bit of the hope regained.  "Can you feel it?"

"I don't feel the presence –" Sam began regretfully, hating again that she couldn't affirm what he wanted to hear.

"No, no." Daniel waved her line of thought away impatiently.  "I'm not talking about that.  It's just – dammit!" he turned on a heel and angrily threw the stone – it clattered around, knocking things over, echoing loudly in the underground room.

"_Daniel._" Sam was worried: this kind of physical aggression was not at all a normal display for him.  

"Yeah." Daniel kept his back to her.

"Are you okay?" Sam could hear the deep concern in her own voice.

"I'm fine." He replied curtly, still not facing her.

"Daniel –" Sam began.

"I'm fine, Sam." Daniel interrupted, finally turning around. "Look – let me know if you find anything, okay?" He walked to the tunnel.

"Where are you going?" Sam called after him.

"I'm going to see if Dr. Bailey has found anything." Daniel answered, not bothering to stop.

Author's Notes:  So I established a timeline after all.  It's after Daniel's descension... I thought it would create some interesting drama later on.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: So, I know these couple of chapters have been that much fun, but still kinda necessary for the crazy plot thing... at least the disappearing writing is back (I wish I could say it was all for you, Cairis Rin, but really, it was always going to make a reappearance). Thank you to the faithful who have been reading my little 'story', as it were. Hang in there!

* * *

  


Daniel found himself in the lower room of the temple, everything around him hazy. After having the same recurring dream for nights on end, he was finally beginning to recognize it as just that. In his dream, he sighed in frustration.

"This is getting old!" He shouted to whoever was listening – maybe to his own unconscious mind. 

Cuneiform appeared once again on the walls. 

"No!" Daniel continued yelling. "I'm not gonna read it!" He flopped himself down on the floor in indignation.

In response, the little glowing triangles flared all the more brilliantly. 

Daniel dropped his head. "Alright." He said, defeated, before standing and stepping closer to the text. "Can't I just wake up already?" he mumbled to himself.

_Great is the daughter of heaven... _

Daniel read aloud. Just as they had in every other dream, the words began to fade. 

"What?" Daniel shouted, looking around to the emptiness of the room. "You want me to read it?!"

The words flickered in what Daniel imagined would be an irritated fashion, if they had been a sentient life form, and recaptured their glow. 

_Her hand is net, her embrace is death _

_She is cruel, raging, angry, predatory... _

The text dimmed, and Daniel rolled his eyes, just barely resisting the urge to tap his foot while he waited for it to return to a more workable brightness.

_A runner, a thief is the daughter of heaven... _

_The words blinked out with finality. _

"So, what?" Daniel asked, more intrigued now. "This 'daughter of heaven,' is she a gould?" he sighed, not really expecting any kind of response. "Okay." He said to himself. "This temple is in Iraq: what used to be Babylon... and this is obviously Babylonian cuneiform." Daniel reasoned, rubbing his forehead wearily. "Daughter of heaven... daughter of heaven... that could be any number of deities!" he found himself frustrated again. "Am I really supposed to remember this? I'm an Egyptologist!" he was also shouting again. Leaning against a wall, Daniel slid down to the floor, taking a deep breath and making another attempt at logic. "Okay. Whoever this 'daughter of heaven' is, she doesn't sound like a very nice person." In his over-tired state, Daniel laughed at himself and his characterization of whoever this deity was. "The arrangement of the text and the content suggest poetry – maybe a prayer." He thought with more clarity as pieces clicked together in his brain. "Is this a prayer against the daughter of heaven?" he asked. 

Daniel suddenly felt a sharp jab to his shoulder. He closed his eyes...

...and opened them. Jack looked down on him and smiled. 

"You were talking in your sleep." The colonel informed him.

Daniel blinked a few times, trying to remember what he'd dreamt about. "I was?"

"Yeah. You were saying all kinds of stuff." Jack replied.

Daniel grew a little concerned. "Uh... what'd I say?" he sat up on his bedroll a little.

"Hell if I know." Jack laid down on his own. "It was in another language." He answered.

Daniel let out the breath he'd been holding. "Oh... okay."

"Most of it." Jack added. Daniel opened his mouth to say something. "Go back to sleep, Daniel." Was all Jack told him, smiling to himself. 


	20. Chapter 20

Three members of SG1 approached their fourth, who had his head down on a table and was jerking in his sleep.

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c called for his attention as they all sat down.  

Daniel popped his head up – falling asleep in the middle of the day was unusual for him, as he generally didn't really even fall asleep much in the middle of the night. "What?" he blinked to clear his blurry vision.

"You appear to be ill." Teal'c stated, observing the tired and rumpled look the archaeologist had about him. 

"What?" Daniel's head was still a little fuzzy, and he wasn't quite comprehending.

"You do not look well."  Teal'c reiterated.  

Daniel frowned and angled the coffee cup nearest to him, checking if anything remained.  "I'm fine." He dismissed.

"You sure you're okay?" Sam asked, sitting down next to him and rubbing his back momentarily.  "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Jack and Teal'c also sat themselves across the table; Jack noticed Daniel's countenance change at the physical contact that had been made.  

"Yeah" Daniel closed his eyes, as if searching his memory. "I mean, I don't – I don't know."

"You think it could have something to do with the temple?" Sam asked. "Maybe there's some other technology –"

"No." Jack shook his head.  "The dreams started after Bailey got here."

Daniel glared at his friend.  "Jack."

"Daniel." Jack returned the glare.

"Jack."

"_Daniel._"

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow while Sam began to fidget.  "You know," she interrupted.  "I've been thinking, the stones that Elena's been collecting... maybe they're a part of something bigger."  

Daniel dropped his head, effectively ending the stare-down.  "Yeah.  I thought the same thing." 

"Yeah?" Sam questioned.  "What'd you come up with?"

"Uh..." Daniel nodded and continued to stare at the table.  He was silent for a moment and then faced Sam, his brow furrowed. "Nothing."  He dropped his head again and folded his hands in front of him.

Sam smiled.  There was another silence before Daniel stood and began ambling away, hands in his pockets, staring off into space.  

"Hey!" Jack called to him.  "Where are you going?  We just sat down!"

Daniel turned and gestured with an elbow, as his hands were still in his pockets.  "I was gonna go back to the temple." he answered.

"I'll come with you." Sam spoke up, also standing.  "See if I can come up with anything." She turned to her commanding officer.  "Sir?"

Jack sighed and waved her away.  "Yeah, go ahead, Carter."  As she left, Jack turned to Teal'c.  "So, Teal'c..." 

"No." he answered.

Jack protested.  "You didn't let me finish."

"You are bored, are you not?" Teal'c questioned.

"No." Jack lied.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, so what if I am?" Jack responded defensively to the eyebrow.  

Teal'c nodded once in affirmation.  "It has been my experience, O'Neill, that when you have nothing to occupy your time, you create destructive alternatives."

"Who, me?" Jack attempted a look of innocence as Teal'c stood and walked away.  "Maybe I was gonna ask you to play dominoes!" Jack called after him.  

Teal'c kept walking.   

Author's Notes:  Still trying to peg Teal'c...


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Notes:  Drama!  Drama!  Drama!  (At least a little bit) And lots of Daniel affirmation.  

Daniel stood in the temple storeroom, eyes closed, arms crossed tightly across his chest.  

"What do you think, Daniel?" Dr. Harrison Bailey asked, a ridiculing tone to his voice.

Daniel sighed and shook his head.  "I don't know." He answered, frustrated.  "It doesn't work. It doesn't make sense. The grammar is wrong – the sentence structure – it's like we're missing something."

"Use your head, Daniel!" Bailey rounded on him, shouting.  "What does it say?!"

Daniel's brow furrowed in concentration as he looked at the tablet again.  "There's a reference to Tiamat, and there's something regarding –" he tried desperately to make sense of the seeming nonsense. "I don't know." He resigned, not understanding why he couldn't make sense of this – it was like a piece of something really was missing. 

"It's the creation story." Bailey turned back to the other artifacts haughtily.  "Can you not even recognize that?" He leaned casually against the wall. "You've always thought you were something special, haven't you?" he asked rhetorically as Daniel rubbed his forehead in unease.  "But it would seem you're not so special after all, wouldn't it?  Nothing but a second-rate archaeologist and a damn poor linguist.  Needed your girlfriend to come along and help you open this, didn't you?" Bailey came forward until he was uncomfortably close to the younger man and lowered his voice to a cross between a whisper and a growl.  "Why don't you crawl back under the rock you were hidden under for so long?  Why bother coming back?  Thought you'd impress us all, did you?  Do you see anyone here who's impressed?"  

Daniel clenched his jaw and looked straight into Bailey's eyes determinedly.  "If we could work together on this–" He began.

Bailey took a step back, unused to the boldness with which Daniel spoke.  "Not worth the effort."  He recovered. Picking up his tools and a few of the tablets, he walked across the way to the tunnel entrance before stopping.  He spoke over his shoulder. "Go back where you came from, Daniel.  Go back with your... friends..." the word was drenched in spite, "...to whatever godforsaken work it is that you do now.  You're mediocrity isn't needed here."

Daniel's shoulders slumped and he kicked a foot lamely in the dirt, unsure of what to do next.  It was at that moment that Sam entered the room.

"Daniel?" she queried.

He looked at her a little hopefully.  "You find anything?"

She shook her head and frowned.  "No."  

Daniel attempted to busy himself by playing around with the other artifacts in the room that the others had begun cataloguing, but in truth, he didn't really have a purpose other than to avoid the confrontation that he knew was coming.  "Did you need something?" he couldn't look at her.

"No." Sam answered to his back.  "Look, Daniel –" she paused, unsure of how to begin. "I guess I was wondering why you let Bailey talk to you like that."

"You, uh... you heard that, huh?" Daniel continued to rearrange.

"I was in the tunnel." Sam explained.  

Daniel sighed and finally faced his friend.  "You're going to start in on this too, now?" he asked, making reference to the conversations that he'd had with Jack.

Sam was worried, and it was all over her face.  "Daniel, I don't think I need to tell you how valuable you are." She walked up to the archaeologist, placing a hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze.  "I don't do what you do, Daniel, but I know that you are an integral part of SG1." At this, Daniel closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, and Sam recognized that her words were uncomfortable for him to hear.  "I know you think you haven't done enough..." she continued, "...that it tears you apart because you think you haven't made a difference... I just – I wish you could see what I see.  You're brilliant, Daniel.  I don't have to be an archaeologist to see that.  You're caring and passionate – you're an incredible diplomat..." Sam smiled, "You're even a damn good shot..." and then frowned when Daniel looked back to her, eyes filled with something like worry and sadness.  "I know that's something that you've become that isn't necessarily something you ever wanted for yourself," she amended, "but the proficiency that you show for anything you do – Daniel, it's incredible." She paused again, looking for a way to drive her point home. "I guess I just wanted to tell you not to let Dr. Bailey or anyone else tell you that you don't do what you do well.  You _have_ been hidden under a rock for a long time, Daniel, _literally_" Sam couldn't help but smile at the irony of Bailey's words, "but it's only because your work is so important to the SGC that we couldn't let you go."  She gave Daniel's arm another squeeze.  "I'll let you know if we do come up with something." Sam promised before she left back through the tunnel.

Daniel leaned back against the nearest wall and tilted his head back, resting it against the cold stone.  


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Notes: This chapter and the next are pretty heavy in Daniel drama.  Not much humor – sorry.  

It was coming – Daniel knew it was coming, and there was nothing he could do about it.  As a matter of fact, he was a little surprised it hadn't come earlier.

More or less all of Daniel's time had been spent in the temple storeroom as he tried to figure out what significance certain artifacts had and as he made more attempts to translate the tablets that Bailey seemed to have a great feel for.  This particular day, Kurt Pendry had chosen to accompany Daniel into the storeroom.  Throughout the morning and afternoon, as the two men worked side by side, Daniel knew the confrontation was rapidly approaching: there was an awkwardness between himself and Kurt that had never been there before – it was so thick it was almost palpable.  As the evening hours approached, Kurt couldn't contain his question any longer.

"Daniel, who are these people?"

Daniel sighed, closing his eyes, knowing exactly what Kurt was talking about.  "They're friends of mine."

"Yes, friends." Pendry affirmed.  "You've told us that.  You've told us you work with them.  You haven't told us what it is that you do or why it is that they're here." The frustration was building in his voice, and Daniel turned to face him.  "Is there something in this temple that you know about that you haven't told us?  Samantha and O'Neill: they're both military.  Your 'Murray' doesn't have a rank, but he's a soldier.  Anyone can see that."  

"Kurt –" Daniel rubbed a hand across his eyes and leaned back against one of the storeroom walls. 

Pendry took a step toward him, voice raised and now filled with concern. "My god, look at you!  When's the last time you've had a decent night's sleep?"

Daniel dropped his head resignedly and crossed one arm over his chest, his other hand rubbing his chin.  "Kurt, please –"

"What have you gotten yourself involved in, Daniel?" Pendry ducked a little in an attempt to meet the younger man's eyes. 

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you about my work.  I know it must look like –" Daniel paused, raising his eyebrows. "-truth be told, I don't know what it looks like, but, but, but – look, I just... I need you to trust me." It was the best he could come up with.

Kurt's face was covered with something like sadness and maybe a little bit of betrayal.  "Of course I trust you, Daniel." He replied.  "But I'm troubled – you're not sleeping well, and Harrison – well, I know he's not been exactly amiable..." he paused and looked straight at Daniel again.  "You're letting this place consume you, Daniel." he told the younger man honestly.  "I know you've always been ambitious and curious, but this is different.  What's going on?"

"I don't know." Daniel answered, just as honestly.

Kurt waited, as if expecting more.  When Daniel didn't expound, he simply nodded.  "We'd better see you at dinner tonight, else Elena will be after my blood." He instructed, making an attempt at humor, but his voice still heavy with concern.  

Kurt nodded again, pursing his lips, as if wanting to say more, but instead turned and left.   


	23. Chapter 23

Sam sat down next to Daniel on a sand dune.  She could hear pieces of conversations and see the fire from the camp not too far away.  "Hey." Sam greeted her friend.  "Whatcha doin?"

Daniel continued to gaze out into the distance.  "Being here at night... it reminds me of Abydos sometimes."  

Sam looked at Daniel curiously: he could sometimes be an incredible paradox: he could be one of the easiest people to read or one of the most difficult; he knew how to be a comfort to others, yet often wouldn't accept comfort they had to offer; he could be deceptively honest, which was the case now: he had given her one of his thoughts, but she knew there was more buried.  "Are you okay?" Sam pressed.

Daniel dropped his eyes to the sand and gave in quickly; yet another indication that something was wrong. "I don't know." He replied.  "Two worlds just collided that never should have met and I feel like I'm in over my head."  

"Are you still having the dreams?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah." Daniel nodded calmly, but suddenly became agitated.  "It's right there, but I don't know what it means!" He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes aggressively, then paused.  Daniel looked at Sam, a little embarrassed by his outburst. "I think I'm beginning to unravel." He told her quietly. 

Sam smiled and held up her thumb and forefinger in an indication of size.  "Maybe a little." 

Daniel smiled himself, then frowned and focused his attention on a mound of sand he began constructing. "Look, about before –"

"I don't need an explanation." Sam interrupted.

Daniel smoothed over the mound and looked back at her.  "I know you don't.  – Thank you."

"I meant it all." She told him honestly.

Daniel held her eye contact really for the first time since she'd arrived.  "I know you did."

"You found the underground room." Sam affirmed.  "You figured out the sphere and opened the tunnels."  

At this Daniel did turn his head away, but in humility rather than avoidance or irritation. "Yeah."

"But you can't figure out how it all ties together." Sam was beginning to understand pieces of what Daniel was feeling, even without him expressing it to her directly.   

"No."

"And you think Bailey can."

"Yes."

"You made the..." Sam paused, remembering to use their cover story "...deep space radar telemetry work."

"No..." Daniel shook his head. "I figured it out.  A lot of other people..." he looked at Sam and smiled. "...you... made it work.  Just like the Asguard device and the tunnels." Daniel didn't bother with the double-talk.

"How many lives have you saved?" Sam asked bluntly.

Daniel looked away again, staring off into the night sky.  "I couldn't save Sha're." he reflected sadly.  "I couldn't save Abydos."  

"You could save me... and the colonel... in Antarctica.  You helped Teal'c, when he was with Bra'tac." Sam pointed out.  "But you still don't think you've done enough." It was a statement, rather than a question.

"Do you think you've done enough?" Daniel turned her reasoning around.

"I know that there's still more to do." Sam answered honestly. "Daniel, you've given so much... you've lost so much.  Give yourself a break." 

"I can't pretend my brand of suffering is worse than anyone else's, Sam." Daniel stated with a sort of finality.  "Jack lost his son, Teal'c lost his wife and Shau'nauc and almost never sees his own child," he looked at her again, "you lost your mother, Martouf, Narim... You don't give yourself a break." Daniel looked back to the stars.  "If I've lost the most, maybe it's just because I _had_ the most.  It's all relative, isn't it?"    

Sam thought a moment.  "Maybe it is." She reflected.  "Maybe you did have the most... that doesn't make it hurt any less."  

"No." Daniel answered softly.  

Author's Notes:  I wanted to bring out what I think is an intriguing piece of Daniel's personality: he's very passionate and can be transparent in what he's feeling, but other times, he holds things back.  It seems like he keeps the things that really hurt him to himself – like how we never saw him cry after Sha're's death (his voice got quivery when he was talking to Jack in Forever in a Day – but he quashed his emotions rather quickly), how after Jack left for Edora in Shades of Grey, Daniel just watched from the gateroom... it's interesting to me.  


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Notes:  I originally intended this to have a few funny moments – I think you can still pick up on them, but the drama got a little heavier than I had anticipated when I re-worked the dialogue.  Let me know what you think.  ;)

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As Daniel continued to examine the storeroom, realization came upon him.  Going to a table covered in artifacts, he picked up a few of the stones and turned them over in his hands.  Daniel walked back over to wall opposite the tunnel entrance and brought a hand close to an indentation.  It was an aberration that he had at first thought to be inconsequential, but now, as he looked from the nick in the wall to the stones in his hand, he understood.  Lifting one of the pieces to the groove, it very much reminded Daniel of a puzzle: even though he had made an incorrect match, it was enough for him to recognize that the stones went with the corresponding indentations.  Excited as he was at this insight, Daniel suddenly found himself overwhelmingly tired. He leaned his forehead up against the wall, but before he could do much else, passed out in an ungracious heap on the tile floor...

***

_The daughter of Heaven is one of the gods, her brothers_

Daniel read in his dream, not caring this time about the repetition of it all.  

_With no child of her own.___

Daniel's forehead crinkled in thought and he repeated the line to himself.  "I know this!" he told himself urgently.  

_Her head is a lion's head  
Her body is a donkey's body  
She roars like a lion  
She constantly howls like a demon-dog._

"I know this!" Daniel repeated, this time, triumphantly.  "Lamashtu!" he exclaimed.  "She was known as the most terrible of all female demons." He explained to no one but himself, enjoying the surge of energy that accompanied an answer that had eluded him for awhile.  "She killed children – took unborn babies from a mother's womb.  She brought disease and sickness; in the guise of a beautiful woman, she seduced men..." Daniel paused, looking around, before stating the last bit of information.  "She disturbed sleep and caused nightmares."  

***

"Daniel?" he could hear the concern in her voice as he struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

"Sam?" Daniel questioned.

"Hello." Came another voice from nearby.

"Jack." Daniel blinked his eyes slowly, trying to locate where his friend was.  

"How ya doin?" he asked.

"Uh," Daniel still attempted to regain his bearings. "I don't know." The truth was, he didn't remember much of anything.

"What happened?" Sam asked, helping him to sit up.

"I don't know." Daniel repeated, leaning up against the wall.

Sam put a hand to Daniel's forehead and looked to her commanding officer. Jack looked from her to Daniel.  

"Alright, Daniel.  I think you've spent enough time in here today." He stated.

Daniel lifted a finger in protest; Jack blocked it with a raised hand.

"You're not fine, Daniel.  Let Carter check you out, get some rest, and you can come back tomorrow morning."

"That's almost an entire day, Jack." Daniel pointed out, standing with Sam's help.

Jack came to his friend's other side, a willing support in case he needed it.  "Your rocks will still be here tomorrow."

"You need rest, Daniel." Sam joined in.  

"Alright." Daniel reluctantly agreed.  He was partway to the passageway when he remembered his discovery; twisting deftly out of Sam's grip, he jogged back to the wall, dropping onto his knees in search of the stones he'd dropped.

Jack and Sam stared at him.  

"Daniel." Jack was the first to speak.

Finding the stones he'd had earlier, Daniel looked them over, then looked to the wall, and didn't respond.  Still not able to make a match, he moved to the table, where many more stones were.  He turned to his teammates.  

"Jack, do you have any of the stones Elena's been finding?" Daniel asked urgently.

"Tomorrow, Daniel." Jack answered slowly, emphasizing each word.  

"No, please." he insisted.  "This is important."

"What is it, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Remember how we thought the stones were part of something bigger?" Daniel returned.  "I think some of them are... _keys_."

Sam turned to the colonel.  "Sir, what about the ones you've been juggling with?" 

"_Carter._" Jack whispered, glaring at her before rummaging through the pockets of the cargo pants he was wearing, making every attempt to avoid the look Daniel was giving him.  He found them and handed them over to the archaeologist, who raised his eyebrows. 

"Juggling?"

"Maybe." 

Daniel examined the three stones he'd been given, his eyes focusing on one in particular... he placed it up against the wall... it clicked as it locked into place.  

Daniel stood back as there was more rumbling, and another doorway was revealed.  

Sam took a step forward, shining a flashlight into the darkness.  "There are at least fifteen tunnels here." She stated in amazement.  "This system must go on for miles beneath the surface."

"Damn." Jack muttered, then turned abruptly, making his way quickly to the surface.  Daniel and Sam followed close behind.

"Jack, what are you going to do?" Daniel called after him, quickening his own pace to catch up.

"No arguments, Daniel.  I'm calling it in to Hammond and we're sending everyone home." Jack was already at the makeshift stairs.  

"Jack, you don't have that kind of authority here." Daniel stopped as he stepped outside.

Jack also stopped and turned, walking back to face his teammate.  "I'm not playing around anymore, Daniel.  We don't know what the hell is down there, and I'm not waiting for one of your old friends to find out!" he was barely able to keep himself from shouting.  "There's no way we can guarantee their safety, so I'm sending them home.  If, _if _we don't find anything, they can come back.  Until that time, we're doing this the right way."  

"_Your _way, you mean." Daniel retaliated. 

"Yes, Daniel.  My way."  The colonel turned to his second-in-command.  "Carter, find Teal'c.  I want a barricade – a couple of 'em.  Set C4 if you need to, and until you get something set up, I want a twenty-four hour guard.  No one goes in, no one comes out." 

"Yes, Sir."  Sam replied, heading off to find the jaffa.

Jack continued walking, followed once more.  "I don't want you going in there by yourself anymore, Daniel.  We'll search the network in pairs, and we'll do it when we're all well-rested." He stopped, his voice firm.  "Do I have to make it an order?"

Daniel didn't pick up on the tone.  "We've been here for almost two weeks!" he nearly shouted.  "There's nothing down there!" he gestured wildly in an attempt to make his point.

Jack began walking again, this time faster.  "See, this is what happens." He stated.  "You say it's safe, you say you're gonna be fine, you say there's nothing down there... but you're gonna go in there by yourself, you're gonna see a rock or a squiggle or _something_, you're gonna touch it, or," Daniel was about to interrupt, "or!" Jack raised his hand to his side, where Daniel was walking, "_or_ we're gonna get down there and the only tunnel you search is gonna happen to be the one with the great, big, flesh-eating subterranean monster that drags you away, and I'll have to go rescue your injured ass while you try to communicate with it!  We go together!" The colonel ordered.  Jack stopped, faced his friend, and softened his voice a little, though it still sounded rather harsh.  "Look, I've gotta go talk to Hammond and then I'm gonna talk to Kurt." 

"No." Daniel replied softly, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. "No." he repeated.  "I'll tell them."


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Notes:  So... a little bit of a request: I only have maybe 5-7 chapters left; is it possible to get my reviews up to 100?  I know it seems a little trivial, but it would be extraordinarily gratifying... so if you don't mind, please review!  If the reviews actually did climb that high, I think I could die happy... well, not really, but I would be tickled at the very least.  ;)

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Daniel stared at the ground as his colleague packed.  "Kurt, I'm sorry."

Pendry stopped what he was doing to face the younger man, his tone forgiving and earnest.  "Don't be sorry, Daniel.  Tell me what's going on."

Daniel didn't reply.  

"I understand that you're caught here – I just wish I knew why." Kurt continued, making another attempt at eye contact.  

"We're just concerned that –" Daniel began.

"That there's some hidden danger." Kurt finished.  "Yes, you've told me that, and I will tell the others, and we'll all go quietly because you've asked us to."  He walked forward, placing his hands on Daniel's arms.  "We don't care about the site, Daniel." He confided, then rephrased, "I mean, of course we care about whatever has been discovered here – we want to share in this process... but we care more about _you_.  We don't understand what's going on, and we don't want to see you in danger any more than you want to see us in such a predicament.  Can you understand that?"

"Yes, of course." Daniel met Kurt's eyes.  "And I wish I could tell you more."

"I know that you do." Kurt went back to his packing.  "It has to be your work – whatever it is you do now, that's what this involves?"

"Yes." Daniel answered honestly.  

Kurt stopped a second time.  "My god, Daniel..." he turned again, "you've found proof, haven't you?  You had it before, but now-"

"Dr. Pendry." Teal'c's deep voice interrupted.

The other two men stared at each other.

"Yes, Murray." Kurt spoke up first, still meeting Daniel's eyes.  "Ready, are we?" he grabbed his bag and stepped out of the tent.

"The rest of your party is ready to depart."  Teal'c intoned, nodding his head slightly.

"Yes, thank you." Kurt replied kindly, setting off toward the two jeeps that sat idling.  

Daniel emerged from the tent and jogged to catch up to the older man, putting a hand on his shoulder to catch his attention.

"As soon as it's cleared, I'll send word.  You will share in this discovery." Daniel told him.  "I promise."

Kurt smiled tightly and pulled Daniel into a hug.  "Take care of yourself, my boy." 

Kurt continued on to his jeep.

Daniel's hands went to his pockets as he watched his old colleagues pull away.  Just before he returned to his team, he saw Otto rise, grabbing hold of the jeep's roll bars.  

"Give her hell for us, Daniel!" he shouted, shaking a fist in the general direction of the temple.

Daniel continued watching as the vehicles disappeared into a large cloud of dust.  


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Notes:  The end is near!

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Daniel awoke again.  He had been ordered to sleep by Jack, so that they would all be well-rested when it came to exploring the network of tunnels, but sleep had been fitful at best, even though he was exhausted, both mentally and physically.    Daniel sighed and closed his eyes, attempting to relax himself.  

***

_Great is the daughter of Heaven_

_Her hand is a net, her embrace is death._

"Yes!" Daniel shouted.  "I remember!"

_She is cruel, raging, angry, predatory._

_A runner, a thief is the daughter of heaven._

"What do I do now?!" he asked frantically.

More writing appeared, and Daniel read quickly.  Realization swept over him: "It's a warning." He said aloud.  "This was all a warning.  We were never supposed to open it!"

***

Daniel's eyes shot open, and he jumped up from his bedroll.  Even in the darkness, he managed to quickly and quietly find his glasses.  By the glowing embers of the evening's fire, he could see Jack at his watch.  Quietly, he made his way through the shadows to the temple, thankful that his life's experiences had taught him how to move through the sand.  

Even as Daniel made his way down to the underground room, he wasn't sure why he didn't tell the others, but he kept moving.  When he reached the first tunnel, he was surprised to find that part of the barricade that had been constructed had already been removed.  Daniel eased himself through the rather unstable gap and continued through the narrow passageway, finding all the blockades had been breached.  When he reached the storeroom, he felt around in the dark until he found one of the flashlights that he knew he'd left.  Turning it on, he looked around and saw that things had been moved.  Though Jack had insisted upon removing the 'key' and resealing the doorway that led to the network of tunnels, it had been opened again, and there were tablets on the ground next to the gaping hole in the wall.  Daniel knelt on the ground – there was one he didn't recognize, and as he read it, he found he was able to understand all the others.  It was a Rosetta stone – it made all the others work.  It was then that Daniel knew who had entered the temple.  

Daniel read quickly – one of the tablets held what could be described as a set of directions.  Daniel committed them to memory and ran into the darkness.  All his senses alert, Daniel moved quickly through the series of tunnels – Sam had been right, they really did extend for miles, and Daniel was thankful for the SGC fitness standards.  

As he came upon the last turn, Daniel could see a bright light.  The tunnel he was in opened up into a large room, and though he had been half-expecting it, Daniel couldn't help but be shocked as he saw Dr. Harrison Bailey within, cursing under his breath and trying his best to open the gold sarcophagus. 


	27. Chapter 27

"Dr. Bailey."  Daniel tried to keep the panic out of his voice.

The other man turned around, anger in his eyes.  "I made the discovery!" he shouted.  "You won't take the credit this time, Daniel!" he laughed a little and began tugging at the lid again.  

Daniel rushed forward to pull Bailey away, but he was too late: a grinding noise could be heard as the two halves of the sarcophagus lid opened.  Bailey fell away as the lid came free, and a low rumbling could be heard, as though the temple itself was groaning.  A light shower of dust was falling, and Daniel looked around to see what opening the sarcophagus had triggered.  Bailey also looked around from his spot on the ground; frightened, he jumped to his feet and made a run for it.  

"No!" Daniel shouted.  "Wait!"

Daniel chased after him, but as soon as Bailey stepped into the passageway, an energy barrier went up.  Daniel hit it full force and rebounded, being thrown to the hard ground.  

***

As Jack sat next to the embers of the camp fire, he could hear something.  The sand was shifting all around him – not enough to cause any great disturbance, but enough to be noticeable.  In moments, Sam and Teal'c emerged from their tents, weapons ready.  

"Sir?" Sam questioned.

Jack looked at them both, and didn't miss the fact that only one member of the team was missing.  "Daniel."  He stated, starting off at a run to the temple. 

***

Daniel opened his eyes to the face of a beautiful woman; her eyes flashed with light.

"Oh, hello..." Daniel made an attempt to back away.

"You are the slave who opened the tomb?" the goa'uld questioned.

"Lamashtu." Daniel realized.

"You dare speak my name?" she questioned, voice filled with hatred and superiority.  "Insolence.  Who are you?"

"Oh, that's not really important." Daniel replied, moving along the wall toward the tunnel.  Reaching it, he could feel the heat of the force shield.

Lamashtu's eyes narrowed.  "It is of little importance.  You will remove the barrier and free me at once."

"A couple problems with that:" Daniel returned.  "I, uh... I don't know how." He explained.  "And even if I did, I wouldn't want to."

The goa'uld raised her hand in fury.

Out of habit, Daniel flinched.  "Yeah... you seem to be missing your little hand thing." 

"You will pay for your impudence," Lamashtu hissed, her voice barely above a whisper, "after you have freed your god.  The panel is behind you.  Give me the key."

Daniel looked where she had directed: there was a panel of sorts that held various symbols that he recognized as belonging to the Asguard, along with another indentation that he assumed could only be meant for the same smooth, grey stones.

"I don't have it." Daniel told her.

"You lie poorly." She began walking forward slowly.

"So I've been told." Daniel answered, wondering how he was going to get himself out of the situation he'd put himself in.  As he looked for any possible means of escape, he realized that dust was no longer falling, and there was no sign that Bailey had ever been in the room.  "It's a dream." He whispered to himself.  He looked back just as Lamashtu was extending a hand to strangle him.  Daniel did the only thing he could thing of: he pinched himself as hard as he possibly could...

... and opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, very much alone.  The archaeologist sat up quickly and was relieved to see a layer of dust fall from his body.  Cautiously, he approached the sarcophagus and peered in: a long-dead body gazed back.  Somewhat satisfied the goa'uld really was dead, Daniel closed the sarcophagus for good measure and ran to the wall where the panel had been in his dream.  

***

"Daniel Jackson and another have traveled this way." Teal'c lead the way through the tunnels.

"Who the hell else is down here with him?" Jack questioned, half rhetorically.  

"Sir, we can't stay in here much longer!" Sam shouted to make herself heard as she followed close behind.

"I know, Carter!" Jack shouted back, coughing as he inhaled a mouthful of dust.

***

"Let it be the right one, let it be the right one," Daniel chanted as he dug into the pockets of the fatigues he was wearing.  He finally pulled two stones out – the other two of the three Jack had been juggling with.  Daniel examined them both and hopefully held one up to the panel.  "What are the odds..." he muttered as he closed his eyes, tried to ignore the continual shower of dust, and pressed the stone into its place... a familiar click was heard as it locked into place.  Daniel's eyes opened as the energy barrier winked out.  "What are the odds?" he repeated incredulously.  He looked around again.  "Not important right now." He told himself as he took off running.

***

"O'Neill!" Teal'c stopped abruptly, nearly causing a domino-like collision.  "One set of footprints has doubled back upon itself."

"Forget it.  We're moving on!" the colonel shouted, running forward.  As he turned the only available direction, he ran into someone.  Jack quickly aimed his P90.

"Whoa!" Daniel stumbled backwards.

"Daniel!" Sam half-greeted/half-shouted.

Jack lowered his weapon.  "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Escaping."  Daniel answered.  "What are you doing?"

"Rescuing." Jack replied.

"Okay." Daniel gazed around, as if waiting for more.  "Well... mission accomplished.  Can we get out of here?"

"Yeah, okay." Jack nodded, turning the way they had come.

"Yeah." Daniel agreed, following closely behind.  

As SG1 ran in silence, hurrying to outrun the possible collapse of the tunnels they were in, a voice could gradually be heard, shouting for help.

Daniel stopped and strained an ear.  "It's Dr. Bailey!" he called out to the rest of his team.  "I think he's this way!" he pointed to another tunnel and was about to start off when Jack grabbed his arm.  

"Daniel, there's no time!" 

"We can't leave him here, Jack!" Daniel pulled his arm away, but his eyes pleaded for help before he headed into the offshoot.

"Son of a bitch!" Jack cursed.  "Carter, Teal'c, get to the surface!"

"Sir-" Sam began.

"Go!" Jack shouted, running down into the passageway Daniel had just entered, where Bailey's voice was echoing.


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Notes: The story (or at least the dialogue) has been long-written, else I probably would have changed some of it, especially knowing how some of you feel about my dear Dr. Bailey... I think you might be a little disappointed, since we don't see him get what's coming to him... rather the opposite.  I'll make an attempt to explain myself later, perhaps.  ;)

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"Teal'c, we need to go back in after them." Sam stated as she paced outside the temple.  

"O'Neill ordered us to the surface." Teal'c replied stoically.  

"They might need our help!" she pleaded.

Teal'c tilted his head in affirmation and followed as Sam lead the way.  The two passed quickly into the underground room and the tunnel leading to the storeroom.  As they reached the door leading to the network, Harrison Bailey emerged, coughing and covered in dust.  

"Carter!  Follow him to the top!" Jack ordered, also emerging from the darkness and dragging an unconscious Daniel.  "Teal'c!" he indicated his need for help and the jaffa complied, taking Daniel into his own grip.  

Moments later, the team plus Bailey exited the temple.  

"Sir, we should really clear –" Sam began.

Jack nodded.  "Get to the jeeps." He was out of breath.

As they drove a few miles away, in the early hours of the morning, the dust cloud from the disturbed sand could be seen.  Bailey remained uncharacteristically quiet next to Teal'c, while Sam checked on Daniel.

"Carter?" Jack questioned.

"He's alive, Sir." She answered, beginning to clean up the gash on the corner of Daniel's forehead.

"Of course he is." Jack joked, remembering the conversation he'd had with Bernadette.

"He should be fine after he wakes up... but he'll have one hell of a headache."

****************

Daniel clipped on his sunglasses to avoid the glare of the mid-day sun, also being careful to avoid the butterfly strips on his head as he drew on his boonie hat.  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the temple.  As it stood, the archaeological team was given permission to return, just as he had promised Kurt they would, as the SGC didn't think a long-dead goa'uld posed much of a threat.  Furthermore, since the tomb, sarcophagus and network had been buried but the rest of the temple remained in tact, barring a few key artifacts which had been removed, there was no real reason to keep the discovery from being published.  

"Daniel?" 

He turned as a voice came from behind, and smiled as his old friend sauntered up, hands in his pockets. 

"So," Kurt began, "are you up on your Assyro-Babylonian mythology?" he asked.

"Lamashtu." Daniel answered.  "Possibly a source of the Hebrew Lilith.  A female demon who stole babies from the mothers, brought disease and sickness, and caused nightmares and disturbed sleep." He continued.  "Also known as 'she who erases.'" Daniel finished.

"Yes." Kurt nodded.  "Very good." He paused before engaging the conversation once again.  "It's a great discovery, you know.  She has no other known temples or shrines or sanctuaries of any sort."

Daniel also nodded.  "It's everything you hoped it would be."

Kurt was silent again, and Daniel waited for the question he knew was coming.

"Going to let Harrison take the credit, are you?" the older man asked.

Daniel turned back to the temple.  "I don't need my name on a paper." He answered.  "It wouldn't get much play for the rest of you if my name was on it anyway."

Kurt came up beside his friend.  "I was right before, wasn't I?" he questioned.  "You do have proof, and you found more here, didn't you?  That's what you couldn't tell us... that's what your job involves." Kurt waited for an answer, but didn't get one.  "Why won't you go public?  You could redeem yourself."

Daniel dropped his gaze and stared at the ground.  "The world isn't ready to know what I know, and that's more important than redemption."

Kurt nodded again.  "Will you tell me... someday?" he asked.

Daniel pursed his lips and bobbed his own head slowly up and down.  "Someday." 

"You did good work, here Daniel." Kurt told the younger man earnestly after a brief silence.  "We brought you in because we knew you'd figure it out, and your talent and curiosity took you beyond what anyone could have expected."  

Kurt held out a hand; Daniel shook it and was pulled into a hug.  

"I'll be waiting to hear from you." Kurt told him.

Daniel's forehead crinkled, still thinking of the compliments that had been paid him, and he gave a small smile in return.

Kurt began walking away, returning to the new camp that he was setting up in preparation for the others' arrival.  He stopped a shouting distance away.

"Your friend, Sam," he called out, "you work well together!" Kurt smiled.  "Elena wanted me to tell you that!"


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Notes: Well, this is it! This has been such a fun process, and I hope you all really have enjoyed the story. As I said before, I think some of you really wanted to see a Bailey smackdown, and even though that isn't the case, I think the story still ends in a positive, if slightly melancholy light. Anyway, thanks for reading and for all the wonderful reviews! You've made my first Stargate SG1 story a really great experience!

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Jack knocked heavily on the door. "Yo! Daniel!" He called through.

The door swung open, and Daniel waved the rest of SG1 into his office. He himself went back to his computer, where he was reading a recently-published journal article. 

"Is it time for the de-briefing?" he asked absently.

"We're just coming by to make sure you're on time." Jack answered.

Daniel gave Jack a look, his brow furrowed, and gathered his folders and reports. 

"Daniel?" Sam queried as they made their way to the briefing room.

The archaeologist turned his head and raised his eyebrows, indicating she should continue.

"I was wondering," she began, "what made you go into the temple that night?"

"I remembered what the dreams were." Daniel answered simply. 

"You did?" it was more of a statement than a question, inviting him to expound.

"The morning Jack found me in the underground room," Daniel explained, "I think I was... a conduit. The Asguard device gave me a warning; we were never supposed to open the tomb. That's what all the hidden chambers and riddles were for: it was meant to be a prison."

"And the dreams were the manifestation of that warning?" Sam questioned.

Daniel nodded. "The gould was long dead, but if someone had gotten there fifty years ago, maybe..." he left the thought unfinished as they entered the briefing room and took their seats. 

***

Half an hour later, Daniel was once again at the front of the room, flipping through a slideshow. Finishing up, Daniel turned the lights in the room back on, and pulled stapled packets of paper out of one of his folders.

"This," Daniel began, handing out the papers, "is a copy of a journal article, published by Drs. Harrison Bailey, III, Otto Farber, Bernadette LaVoie, Kurt Pendry and Elena Vadillo. It makes mention of the temple as the only known shrine to the demoness Lamashtu, and largely credits Dr. Bailey with unlocking its secrets. It's gotten fairly significant attention from the archaeological community, as previously untouched sites are rarely come across these days." Daniel lectured. "It notes the lack of more substantial writing as being a tribute to 'she who erases.' It does not mention the network of tunnels nor the grey stones that served as keys to various sections of the construction." Daniel returned to his seat next to Sam. "Since we saw to removing any artifacts with gould symbols, took all the discovered keys, and the network and tomb itself was destroyed, it's a high probability that no one outside the SGC, save Dr. Bailey, will ever be the wiser regarding their existence." 

"And we have reasonably guaranteed that this Dr. Bailey won't come forward with what he knows?" General Hammond asked.

"Yes, Sir." Daniel answered. "He's received great acclaim for the site, which is what I think he may have been after in the first place. His career has been sufficiently resurrected, and he was given portions of the notes Sam and I took to add to him further credibility. That alone should be good enough for a few more journals." 

"Besides which, Sir," Sam added, "according to Daniel's report, I don't think he ever really did understand what he was seeing. He never came into contact with the goa'uld; he only saw the sarcophagus, and he left before the energy barrier was activated." 

General Hammond nodded and closed the folder in front of him after placing all the materials inside. "Thank you, Dr. Jackson." He looked around at the team around him. "Well, SG1, your next assignment is P77-539. We'll have the briefing at 0700 tomorrow, and you should be ready to embark at 0830." the general stood. "If there are no objections, you are dismissed, and I'll see you all tomorrow morning." 

He was responded to with a chorus of "Thank you, Sir".

Jack and Sam also stood as the general left. Jack tapped his fingers on the briefing room table and looked around at his team. 

"Pie?" He asked, moving toward the door himself. Sam and Teal'c followed, presumably to the commissary, as Daniel gathered up the spread of papers in front of him. 

The last thing he placed in his folder was his own printout of the journal article. He knew it to be his own copy, as he had attached a yellow post-it with the contact information for Dr. Kurt Pendry. Daniel picked up his folder and left the room, jogging slightly to catch up with the rest of SG1.


End file.
